


Domini Canis

by WhenFandomStrikes



Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dan is no longer a douche, Ella is my favourite, F/M, Fluff, Hellhounds, Identity Reveal, Kidnapping, Linda Martin takes no shit, Monks, Multi, People forget those wings are dangerous, Season 2, Whump, Wings, gratuitous use of latin titles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-09
Updated: 2018-05-15
Packaged: 2018-10-01 14:31:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 54,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10192049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhenFandomStrikes/pseuds/WhenFandomStrikes
Summary: When a strange and mysterious group of religious zealots known as the Domini Canis come to Los Angeles in search of the divine, they manage to kidnap Lucifer, Amenadiel, Charlotte and Chloe. The results of which brings a lot of secrets out of the dark and into the light.





	1. Domini Canis

Chloe woke up to find herself in an unfamiliar and uncomfortable place. It was bright white with white walls and white lights and white floors and white everything. Even the hard cot beneath her was white. The air smelt stale and dry. It reminded Chloe of a hospital or a laboratory or even some alien spaceship for a TV show. Blinking slowly and turning her head away from the glaring brightness above her head, she noted that not only was she in a room that had glass walls, but she wasn't alone. Another woman lay on the similarly stiff cot to her left, breathing slowly.

To her right, she could see the back of a large, black man, sleeping in the next… cage? Where were they? She reached out and pressed her hand to the glass that bordered the right side of her bed before rolling over and sitting up.

"Hello?" She said hesitantly, her voice raspy from disuse. How did she get here? The last thing she remembered was going out to her car to fetch a box of files she'd brought home from the precinct.

Smacking her lips and grimacing, she realised that she must have been chloroformed, judging by the sour taste in her mouth.

"Great." She sighed as she sat up, running her fingers through her hair. "Hey, are you awake?"

There was a soft groan from the woman beside her, only a few feet away. The tall, slender woman rolled over and, to Chloe's surprise, she recognised her.

"Charlotte Richards?" Chloe said and the woman groaned again before opening her eyes.

"Where, what?" Charlotte moaned before sitting up quickly, her eyes darting wildly around the room before they fell on Chloe. "What are you doing here? Where am I?"

"No idea." Chloe shrugged, standing to stretch before switching herself into full-on cop mode. She peered around the room and then glanced back over to the man asleep in the next cubicle. It was only then that she realised that there were actually two men in the other room. One of the men, the one on the furthest cot away from her, she absolutely recognised the she was able to draw an easy conclusion as to who the man next to her was.

"Lucifer?" Chloe called out, tapping on the glass that separated her and Charlotte from them. "Amenadiel? Hey! Guys! Wake up!"

"I don't understand." Came Charlotte's voice from behind her. "How did we get here?"

"We were drugged and kidnapped." Chloe said in a matter-of-fact tone. There was really no need to elaborate.

"That is completely ridiculous. I cannot be drugged." Charlotte said, her clipped tone full of disdain. "And who would dare kidnap me?"

Chloe couldn't help but roll her eyes at the woman's petulant tone. No wonder Lucifer knew her so well. They were clearly birds of a feather when it came to the pride department. Deciding to ignore the loathsome lawyer, Chloe banged on the glass partition harder.

"HEY!" She shouted. "Wake up you idiots!"

Lucifer made a noise and Amenadiel rolled over only to scramble backwards at the sight of Chloe pressed against the glass beside him. He was clearly out of sorts and fell onto the floor with a thump as he darted away in his surprise. The detective would have found the large man's fumbling funny if it wasn't for the fact that they were all mysteriously kidnapped and imprisoned by some super secret organisation of unknown origin.

"Chloe?" Amenadiel choked, looking adorably confused. "Mo—Mrs. Richards? What? What's going on?"

"Kidnapped." Chloe said shortly, already getting tired of explaining the obvious, before nodding her head and pointing behind Amenadiel. "Now wake up your brother so that we can all assess what's going on and how to get the hell out of here."

Amenadiel, once he'd quickly gathered his bearings, turning to see Lucifer still passed out on the other cot. He quickly got up and paced over to his brother and shook him vigorously.

"Lucifer. Luci. Wake up." The tall man said and Lucifer let out a long groan and batted Amenadiel's hand away.

"Piss off, you feathery prick." Lucifer muttered, causing Amenadiel to roll his eyes.

"Lucifer. Wake up, you fool. We've been taken." Amenadiel said sternly, giving his brother another firm shake.

"What the bloody hell are you on about?" Lucifer groaned again and turned to look up only to blink in clear shock.

"Welcome to the party." Chloe said and Lucifer's eyes darted to her. The look on his face was a mixture of confusion and what Chloe could only interpret as concern.

"Where are we?" Lucifer asked, his brows furrowing as he slid off his cot to stand with the rest of his trapped cohorts.

"That's what we need to figure out." Chloe said.

"Well, clearly we are somewhere expensive. It's far too clean to be the hideout of your typical breed of human criminal vermin." Charlotte said. Chloe looked over her shoulder to squint at the woman's phrasing, but didn't comment on it.

"Obviously." Lucifer scoffed, adjusting his suit pompously. "Expensive and exclusive. Just how I like it. This place reeks of money. How else would you explain both our accommodations and the fact that whomever these people are managed to kidnapped not only Amenadiel, but a high-level criminal attorney, a distinguished detective of the LAPD, and the Devil himself without any of us putting up much of a fight?"

"The last thing I remember was leaving the grocery store." Amenadiel said.

"I had just left dinner with a client." Charlotte added.

"I was going down to my car to get something." Chloe supplied.

"I was heading to your flat to see Maze, Detective. We must have just missed each other." Lucifer said, shaking his head. "No wonder they got the drop on me."

"What do you mean by that?" Chloe asked, but before she got her answer, Charlotte interrupted.

"What does it matter how we got here? Clearly we've been taken. The question now is how to we free ourselves?" The lawyer asked, a hint of irritation in her voice.

"Relax, Mu-Mrs. Richards. Charlotte." Lucifer said, giving the woman a charming smile. "There must be a reason we're here. I'm more curious about that. Plus, what's a little chloroform between friends?"

"Lucifer." Chloe said, her voice holding a warning tone. "This isn't a game. This is serious. These people must be very coordinated to take all of us. And why us? I can see why they might take you two." She pointed at the men. "You're related. Or even Lucifer and I. We're partners. But I don't understand why they took all four of us. How are we all connected?"

"You are all touched by Heaven." Came a man's voice over what appeared to be a speaker system. "Divine in your existence."

Chloe could have sworn Lucifer, Amenadiel, and Charlotte all shared a concerned glance before looking away from each other. Was there something she was missing?

"Hello, Mr. Nobody. Care to reveal yourself? I feel awfully uncomfortable speaking to disembodied voices." Lucifer said cheerfully, his face turned upwards towards the ceiling. "That sort of behaviour often leads to misunderstandings and white padded walls."

"Your clever tongue will not save you, Morningstar. We know who you are." The man said, his tone full of condescension. It made Lucifer frown and Chloe uncomfortable. Lucifer was usually able to charm anyone, but it seemed that this guy knew her partner's game.

"Look, whoever you are. I'm a cop. You're going to be in a load of trouble if you don't release us." Chloe said, trying her best to sound threatening and stern.

"Detective Chloe Decker, we know who you are. Count us surprised when you showed divinity. We thought you were nothing. Nobody. How amazed we were to see you glow with the Heavenly Father's light." The voice said.

"What? Are you people crazy?" Chloe snickered humourlessly and she jumped when Charlotte placed a hand on her shoulder.

"What the detective meant to say was that we believe you have made a mistake." Charlotte said, shaking her head at Chloe as if to tell her to stop talking. "We are not special. We are just regular people."

"Charlotte Richards. You were also a surprise." The voice said. "You were so bright in our eyes. We know not what you are, but we are excited to find out."

"Who are you?" Amenadiel demanded, his voice a low growl.

"I'm with my fool of a brother on this one. Stop saying we like you're the bloody Queen of England and start making sense." Lucifer said, his tone making it clear that he was getting irritated.

There was a sound to their left and a door opened in the white wall outside their glass prisons. A man in a plain, brown robe stepped out. He reminded Chloe of a monk from one of those old medieval films that Dan liked to watch.

"Allow me to introduce myself." The monk said. "I am Brother Ryan of the Domini Canis."

"Hello, padre." Lucifer purred, stepping towards the glass with a glint in his eye. Chloe knew what he was going to do. She'd seen him do it dozens of times before. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"You're spell will not work on me Morningstar." The monk said, his eyes not meeting Lucifer's. "I know your tricks and I will not be tempted by your evil."

"Evil? Who's evil? Me?" Lucifer said with a chuckle before scoffing. "I'm not evil. Perhaps a bit sinful, but definitely not evil."

"What do you want with us?" Chloe asked, deciding that they needed answers. If this Brother Ryan person wasn't going to look Lucifer in the eye, his hypnosis thing wasn't going to work so she might as well try to get to the point. "Why did you bring us here?"

"To gain entry to the Silver City." Brother Ryan said, his gaze meeting Chloe's. "And to do so, we need the touch of the divine."

"That's absurd." Charlotte said. "Humans can just–""Charlotte." Lucifer cut off the lawyer curtly before turning his attention back to the monk. "Look. You've clearly made a mistake here. None of us can help you get to where you want to go. Trust me."

"Trust the Prince of Lies?" Brother Ryan laughed. Lucifer's face turned sour and his eyes grew dark.

"I never lie. Bit of a misnomer, that. And believe me, we cannot help you." Lucifer said sternly. "We are powerless, wingless, and whatever other things you might think we are. We are outcasts. Fallen. Aside from the detective, who is just plain human. Let us go."

"Just because you cannot help us directly doesn't mean the power does not reside inside you." The monk said. "Especially you, Satan. You need not your grace any longer."

Chloe's mind was starting to spin a bit. Clearly this man was crazy and had bought into Lucifer's schtick that he was actually the Devil. In that respect, Brother Ryan thought that Lucifer could get them to.. where? Heaven? And what they hell did everyone else have to do with this nonsense. It wasn't like Chloe ran around claiming to be an angel or something.

"Look, buddy. We aren't who you think we are. We're just people. A club owner, a detective, a lawyer and a…" Chloe blinked and shrugged. "And Amenadiel. We're just people. Nothing special."

"Oh, detective. How you've been lied to." The monk said, smiling at Chloe in a way that made her skin crawl. "Lucifer Morningstar in the Devil in disguise. Amenadiel is the first born of God himself. As for you and Mrs. Richards, we do not understand how you carry the light of the heavens, but we will find out."

Brother Ryan moved further into the room and tucked his hands into his sleeves to take the stereotypical stance of a movie monk.

"We have been searching for a long time for divinity on earth." The monk said with a soft smile that creeped Chloe out. "You should have seen our shock when our scrying led us to the city of angels. And we were so pleased to find not one, but four beings that carried the light of heaven inside them. We will harness that power and use it as the key to guide us to Silver City above."

"And how do you plan on doing that?" Amenadiel asked, crossing his arms over his chest and glowering at the monk. At least he seemed on board with Chloe in disbelieving this nonsense.

Without another word, three more monks entered the room, all of them with their hoods still up and their faces obscured. Once they were lined up, one of the monks opened a book and started to read.

"Is that… Latin?" Chloe asked and Amenadiel nodded.

"It's actually old Latin." The man said, shaking his head and smiling. "Typical."

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me." Lucifer scoffed, rolling his eyes and sauntering back over to his cot where he plunked himself down. "You idiots have no idea what you're doing, do you? Read a bunch of Latin at us and expect some weird magic mojo to happen? Yeah, not how it works, padre."

"Lucifer." Amenadiel said with a warning tone, but there was a small smirk at the corner of his lips.

Chloe panicked for a quick moment, but as time wore on and nothing strange happened, she relaxed. These guys really were just crazy. When the first weirdo chant they did had no reaction from anyone, they started on a second and then a third. By the forth, all the occupants of the glass cages were sitting down, watching the show. It would have been entertaining if it wasn't so freaky.

"What were guys expecting to happen here?" Chloe asked, pretending to yawn with boredom. "You've clearly made a mistake."

"Humans." Charlotte muttered with a groan. "Always think you know more than you actually do. Idiots."

Chloe ignored Charlotte and looked over at Lucifer and Amenadiel. They looked just as unimpressed as she was.

The monks, on the other hand, looked irritated. It was clear that they had expected something to have worked by now and they were getting increasingly frustrated that their plans were failing.

"Get the scroll." Brother Ryan said. He was clearly the leader of this circus.

"Brother?" One of the other monks asked, clearly worried about the choice.

"Get it. If we cannot control the divine, we shall control the infernal." Brother Ryan said and one of the other monks scurried off to fetch whatever it was his boss was talking about.

"Give it a rest, guys." Chloe groaned, dropping down onto her back and covering her eyes with her arm. "You screwed up. Let us go."

"Detective Decker, I don't believe you understand. We may have failed to call upon the power of the divine, but it was not our fate to attempt to control the pure and holy." Brother Ryan said as he approached Chloe and Charlotte's side of the room. "The wicked and sinful, on the other hand… that is something the Holy Father would praise us for capturing."

"Ooh! Is it my turn to wet my knickers in fear?" Lucifer cooed, sitting up excitedly and wiggling in his cot. "Do tell. Let me guess. An exorcism? Oh! Or maybe a Devil's Trap? Haven't seem humans attempt that one in centuries."

"Lucifer, knock it off." Chloe groaned, really not wanting him to add fuel to the fire of crazy. She knew she was supposed to be frightened, but all their kidnappers had done was read at them in Latin. How threatening could she find a bunch of old guys reading to her?

"But Detective," Lucifer whinged, "Maybe they'll start Hail Marying or Our Fathering all over the place. I'm excited."

"You're a weirdo." Chloe laughed. She couldn't help it. Lucifer always managed to make her laugh even when it was entirely inappropriate to do so. Jerk.

"Brother!" Exclaimed the monk who'd left. He was wielding a rather old looking piece of paper and handed it to Brother Ryan.

"Excellent." Brother Ryan said as he carefully unraveled the scroll. "Let's see how gleeful you are, Adversary, when this is over."

"Ooh, Adversary. Haven't heard that in a while." Lucifer grinned, clearly delighted. "But if we're switching to nicknames, I much prefer Old Scratch."

The monk began to read and the words sounded like nothing Chloe had ever heard. She looked at Amenadiel and he looked confused. So did Charlotte. Lucifer, on the other hand, look far less cheeky than he did a moment ago.

"Gibberish." Amenadiel said with a laugh. "You're reading gibberish."

"It's not gibberish." Lucifer's voice, now definitely not snarky, cut through his brother's laughter with cold seriousness. Everyone turned to look at the club owner who had stood up from his cot and paced towards the glass separating him from the monks. He looked almost dangerous. "Where did you find that?"

The monk didn't answer and instead continued to read.

"Lucifer?" Amenadiel asked, his laughter gone and his tone full of concern. "What is it. I know not this language."

"Because it isn't one." Charlotte said, scoffing softly.

"Dimoori sheol." Lucifer said cooly, looking at his brother solemnly. "The language of the Lilim. Of course none of you know it. It's only spoken in Hell. It's the language of demons."

"Okay, that's it." Chloe said sharply, sitting up and flinging her arms in the air. "I've had enough of this. Heaven, Hell, Demons, Angels… all of it. This is stupid and you all sound insane. I want out of here and these freaks aren't going to keep me from–"

Chloe was cut off by a choked-off groan. Everyone turned to see Lucifer with his fist clenched and his muscles taut. He glared at the monks and then his eyes darted over to look at everyone else.

"We may… have a problem." He gritted out and Amenadiel was at his side in an instant. Charlotte, to Chloe's surprise, practically shoved the detective out of the way to clamour onto the cot and press against the glass that separated them.

"Lucifer? What's wrong?" Charlotte asked, her voice pooling with concern. "Amenadiel, what's happening to him?"

"I don't know. Lucifer?" Amenadiel asked, grabbing his brother by the shoulders.

"Stop it…" Lucifer ground out, his body curling into itself as he wrapped his arms around his torso. It was clear that he was in pain. Chloe joined Charlotte on the cot and placed her hands on the glass. What was going on?

Brother Ryan continued to read and the other monks gathered around him to read over his shoulder. It was now a chorus of voices while Lucifer moaned in clear agony. Eventually, he dropped to his knees and Amenadiel held his shoulders while trying to keep him steady.

"What is happening, Luci?" Amenadiel asked, his voice pleading. "Talk to me."

"It feels like… Like I'm being torn inside out." Lucifer ground out, the words slightly muffled because the man's teeth were clenched tight.

Chloe's eyes darted to the monks and she could see the leader smiling. A wave of anger washed over her and she scrambled off the cot to the glass that kept them separated from her. She banged on the wall and screamed at them.

"Stop it! Stop! Can't you see you're hurting him?! Stop!" She shouted, kicking at the glass with no luck. What was happening? How were these stupid, nonsense words hurting Lucifer? Honestly, she didn't care at the moment. All that mattered was Lucifer was in pain and those bastards were causing it. "STOP IT!"

The monks kept reading and Lucifer's moans started to become bit off screams in his throat. It was clear he was trying to remain dignified, but the pain was getting to him. He was shaking hard and his hands were clawing at his shoulders as if trying to get an invisible being off his back.

"Lucifer!" Charlotte screamed and the monks kept chanting.

"Chloe!" Lucifer shouted, his voice sounding broken and hard. He rarely used her first name and when he did, it guaranteed that he had her undivided attention. "Close your eyes. Chloe, close your eyes! Mom! Cover her eyes!"

It wasn't a request. It was a demand.

Mom? What was Lucifer talking about? Before Chloe could react or ask any questions, Charlotte was on her and turning her away with a strength that wasn't humanly possible. The lawyer flung Chloe down on the farthest cot and covered her with her body, effectively shielding the detective from what was happening in the other enclosure.

Chloe heard Lucifer's muffled and throaty shouts rip out of him and morph into earth-shattering screams. Then she heard something that sounded like fabric being torn.

If Chloe thought everything was bright before, she knew nothing until now. A blinding light cut through even Charlotte's form and the sound of shattering glass followed. More screams joined the cacophony of sounds and Chloe wasn't sure whose they were anymore.

There was another odd sound that reminded Chloe of curtains flapping in heavy wind, which struck her as terribly odd and out of place, regardless of how crazy everything was at the moment. She desperately wanted to see what was happening and struggled against Charlotte to get out from under her, but the woman held fast. She was like a freaking rock.

There were definitely sounds of a struggle. Punches were being thrown and grunts of bodies hitting the floor before it all ended suddenly. There was only one sound left. A pained whimper that sounded like it was coming from the other side of the room.

Slowly, Chloe felt Charlotte let her go and the detective scrambled up to see what had happened.

There was glass all around them. The chambers they had been kept in had been completed shattered to bits. The monks, now with their hoods removed, lay in a pile against the white wall across from the cages. At first, Chloe thought they were dead, but, after a moment, she could see that they breathing. Unconscious, then. Her eyes then caught on to the red spatter that lay on the floor and ceiling.

Blood. It was everywhere.

Amenadiel was seated on the floor by the door the monks had entered from and in his lap laid, "Lucifer?"

Chloe whispered. She couldn't believe her eyes. Lucifer was also unconscious, whimpering softly, but that wasn't what shocked her. As he slept in his brother's lap, Amenadiel stroked his large hands over massive, bright, beautiful, white wings.

They were as long as Lucifer was tall and as wide as a refrigerator. The feathers were all sizes and had flecks of gold and silver in them.

And they were utterly beautiful. Did Chloe think of that? Yes. They were beautiful.

"Mom. I'll take Luci. Help Chloe. We need to go." Amenadiel said and his words jostled Chloe out of her shameless gaze at the man asleep on the floor.

"Wha–?" Chloe began to speak but Charlotte took her by the arm.

"Now is not the time, Detective. We need to leave." Charlotte said and all Chloe could do was dumbly nod as she was led out through the door and up some stairs. Eventually they found their way into the early light of dawn. Chloe's eyes never wavered from the wings sprouting from Lucifer's back and, when they got outside, the morning sun only made them look even more gorgeous than before.

Somehow, Amenadiel had managed to call Maze to come retrieve them. Chloe was pretty sure that he'd gone to find a phone at some point, but she was too distracted and her mind was completely fried. She just couldn't wrap her brain around what she was seeing.

One thing was for certain, though.

Lucifer Morningstar…. was really the devil.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your comments give me LIFE! I may add more chapters later, but this is standalone for now. I already have some ideas kicking around, specifically writing part of this from Lucifer's point of view. And then, of course, we would want to see the fallout of Chloe's discovery, right? Let me know what you guys think. This is my first foray into writing for this fandom, so I'd love to hear what you think. Also, send some plotbunnies my way! I'm all for gifting stuff! :D


	2. Domini Canis Duo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucifer wakes to find himself in a precarious situation.
> 
> **YAY! Another chapter. You guys wanted to read this from Lucifer's point of view, and I couldn't resist. Enjoy the whump!**

The last thing he remembered was heading down the walkway towards Chloe and Mazikeen's flat. Next he knew, he was being shaken awake by his brother.

"Piss off, you feathery prick." Lucifer muttered. He had no idea why he was in bed, but he had to have a good reason and Amenadiel was ruining his lie in.

"Lucifer. Wake up, you fool. We've been taken." Amenadiel said sternly, giving his brother another firm shake.

Taken? Taken where?

"What the bloody hell are you on about?" Lucifer groaned as he turned to look up only to blink in shock. This was not his home. It should have been obvious from the start, given that the bed felt like a rock and was definitely not covered in thousand-thread-count Egyptian cotton.

The place was a solid white. Everything irradiated with the bland colour and it reminded Lucifer of the Silver City… and not in the good way.

"Welcome to the party." Chloe voice came from his side and Lucifer's eyes immediately darted to her. What was Chloe doing here? A quick assessment showed that his mother was there as well. He and Amenadiel were in some sort of glass box and the women in it's partnering chamber.

"Where are we?" Lucifer asked, his brows furrowing as he slid off his cot to stand with the rest of his trapped cohorts. Clearly not in Kansas anymore, that was for sure.

"That's what we need to figure out." The Detective said. Lucifer couldn't help but smile inwardly to himself. Detective Chloe Decker was as brave as they came. Good on her.

"Well, clearly we are somewhere expensive. It's far too clean to be the hideout of your typical breed of human criminal vermin." Charlotte said. Lucifer couldn't help but roll his eyes. His mother was rarely a help in general, so it would be no wonder that she would be useless in such a situation.

"Obviously." Lucifer scoffed, adjusting his suit as he stood. "Expensive and exclusive. Just how I like it. This place reeks of money. How else would you explain both our accommodations and the fact that whomever these people are managed to kidnapped not only Amenadiel, but a high-level criminal attorney, a distinguished detective of the LAPD, and the Devil himself without any of us putting up much of a fight?"

"The last thing I remember was leaving the grocery store." Amenadiel said.

"I had just left dinner with a client." Charlotte added.

"I was going down to my car to get something." Chloe supplied.

"I was heading to your flat to see Maze, Detective. We must have just missed each other." Lucifer said, shaking his head. He had been close to Chloe. It made sense that he was vulnerable to abduction. "No wonder they got the drop on me."

"What do you mean by that?" Chloe asked, but before Lucifer could answer her, Charlotte interrupted.

"What does it matter how we got here? Clearly we've been taken. The question now is how to we free ourselves?" His mother asked, a hint of irritation in her voice.

"Relax, Mu-Mrs. Richards. Charlotte." Lucifer said, giving the woman a charming smile and hoping Chloe didn't catch the almost slip. "There must be a reason we're here. I'm more curious about that. Plus, what's a little chloroform between friends?"

"Lucifer." Chloe said, her voice holding a warning tone. Lucifer so did love her fire. "This isn't a game. This is serious. These people must be very coordinated to take all of us. And why us? I can see why they might take you two." She pointed at the men. "You're related. Or even Lucifer and I. We're partners. But I don't understand why they took all four of us. How are we all connected?"

"You are all touched by Heaven." Came a man's voice over what appeared to be a speaker system. "Divine in your existence."

Oh, that was a problem. Lucifer looked to Amenadiel and his mother quickly with a concerned frown before looking away. Did this human on the speaker know who they were? Lucifer certainly made no secret about being the Devil, but his mother and brother weren't so forthcoming. Clearly there was more going on here.

"Hello, Mr. Nobody. Care to reveal yourself? I feel awfully uncomfortable speaking to disembodied voices." Lucifer said cheerfully, his face turned upwards towards the ceiling. Perhaps he could charm this human into offering up some information. "That sort of behaviour often leads to misunderstandings and white padded walls."

"Your clever tongue will not save you, Morningstar. We know who you are." The man said, his tone full of condescension. Well, so much for that plan. Lucifer frowned and shook his head. It seemed that they might actually have a true believer on their hands and, if that was so, they were in even more danger than Lucifer anticipated.

"Look, whoever you are. I'm a cop. You're going to be in a load of trouble if you don't release us." Chloe said, clearly trying her best to sound threatening and stern. Lucifer beamed with pride at her.

"Detective Chloe Decker, we know who you are. Count us surprised when you showed divinity. We thought you were nothing. Nobody. How amazed we were to see you glow with the Heavenly Father's light." The voice said and that caught Lucifer's interest.

Chloe was touched with the divine? What did the man mean by that?

"What? Are you people crazy?" Chloe snickered humourlessly and she jumped when Charlotte placed a hand on her shoulder.

"What the detective meant to say was that we believe you have made a mistake." Charlotte said, shaking her head at Chloe. "We are not special. We are just regular people."

"Charlotte Richards. You were also a surprise." The voice said. "You were so bright in our eyes. We know not what you are, but we are excited to find out."

Of course she was bright. She was a bloody goddess. Not that this pitiful human knew that.

"Who are you?" Amenadiel demanded, his voice a low growl.

"I'm with my fool of a brother on this one. Stop saying we like you're the bloody Queen of England and start making sense." Lucifer said, his tone making it clear that he was getting irritated. He'd had enough of this nonsense and wanted answers.

There was a sound to their left and a door opened in the white wall outside their glass prisons. A man in a plain, brown robe stepped out. Lucifer had to school himself from bursting out into laughter. The guy looked like he should be one of those priests in Game of Thrones.

"Allow me to introduce myself." The monk said. "I am Brother Ryan of the Domini Canis."

Dogs of God. _Quaint,_ Lucifer thought to himself. Of course Dad's faithful fools would be the problem.

"Hello, padre." Lucifer purred, stepping towards and turning on the charm full blast. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"You're spell will not work on me, Morningstar." The monk said, his eyes not meeting the Devil's. "I know your tricks and I will not be tempted by your evil."

"Evil? Who's evil? Me?" Lucifer said with a chuckle before scoffing. Clearly this Brother Ryan fellow was one of the complicated ones. And if he knew about the Devil's ability to draw out desires, he would not be so susceptible to Lucifer's charms. "I'm not evil. Perhaps a bit sinful, but definitely not evil."

"What do you want with us?" Chloe asked, interrupting Lucifer's attempt at seduction with a cold and demanding voice. "Why did you bring us here?"

"To gain entry to the Silver City." Brother Ryan said, his gaze meeting Chloe's. "And to do so, we need the touch of the divine."

"That's absurd." Charlotte said. "Humans can just–"

"Charlotte." Lucifer cut his mother off curtly. He didn't need her acting like the Goddess of all creation right now. Instead, he brought the monk's attention back to him. "Look. You've clearly made a mistake here. None of us can help you get to where you want to go. Trust me."

"Trust the Prince of Lies?" Brother Ryan laughed.

Why did everyone think him a liar? It was honestly getting annoying at this point. Lucifer's eyes narrowed on the man and it took a great deal of willpower not to let them burn red.

"I never lie. Bit of a misnomer, that. And believe me, we cannot help you." Lucifer said sternly. It wasn't a lie. They couldn't. Amenadiel had fallen, Lucifer had cut off and burned his wings, and his mother was trapped in a human body. As for Chloe, she was just an ordinary human. Wasn't she? "We are powerless, wingless, and whatever other things you might think we are. We are outcasts. Fallen. Aside from the detective, who is just plain human. Let us go."

"Just because you cannot help us directly doesn't mean the power does not reside inside you." The monk said. "Especially you, Satan. You need not your grace any longer."

Alright. So this bloke was definitely a true believer. Lucifer knew he had to tread carefully with this one. Especially with Chloe around. There were just too many divine beings in the room and that made the Devil uncomfortable.

"Look, buddy. We aren't who you think we are. We're just people. A club owner, a detective, a lawyer and a…" Chloe blinked and shrugged. "And Amenadiel." Lucifer let out a small snicker at the detective's pause and Amenadiel scowled at him. "We're just people. Nothing special."

"Oh, detective. How you've been lied to." The monk said, smiling at Chloe in a way that made Lucifer's blood boil. "Lucifer Morningstar is the Devil in disguise. Amenadiel is the first born of God himself. As for you and Mrs. Richards, we do not understand how you carry the light of the heavens, but we will find out."

If the monk was right, then Chloe was something other than human. It would certainly explain how she wasn't affected by Lucifer's charms, but the Devil had checked. No wings, no marks, no cupid's bow or reaper's sickle. She was utterly unremarkable… aside from how completely remarkable she was in Lucifer's eyes.

Brother Ryan moved further into the room and tucked his hands into his sleeves to take the stereotypical stance of a movie monk.

"We have been searching for a long time for divinity on earth." The monk said with a soft smile that clearly creeped Chloe out. Her disdain was written all over her face. "You should have seen our shock when our scrying led us to the city of angels. And we were so pleased to find not one, but four beings that carried the light of heaven inside them. We will harness that power and use it as the key to guide us to Silver City above."

"And how do you plan on doing that?" Amenadiel asked, crossing his arms over his chest and glowering at the monk. Lucifer found that to be a very good question and tilted his head to one side to hear the answer.

But the answer never came. Without another word, three more monks entered the room, all of them with their hoods still up and their faces obscured. Once they were lined up, one of the monks opened a book and started to read.

"Is that… Latin?" Chloe asked and Amenadiel nodded.

"It's actually old Latin." His brother said, shaking his head and smiling. "Typical."

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me." Lucifer scoffed, rolling his eyes and sauntering back over to his cot where he plunked himself down. "You idiots have no idea what you're doing, do you? Read a bunch of Latin at us and expect some weird magic mojo to happen? Yeah, not how it works, padre."

Why did humans think that Latin was the end-all, be-all of spells. There were older languages with much more power. Latin was just another boring, human language. There was nothing special about it.

"Lucifer." Amenadiel said with a warning tone, but there was a small smirk at the corner of his lips. At least his brother understood how ridiculous all this was.

The monks kept on their nattering and Lucifer let out a sigh. This was going to go nowhere. And, as he thought, nothing happened. The monks then moved on to another 'spell' and again, nothing happened. And then there was a third and a fourth. By the fourth Latin chatter, everyone was seated on their cots looking bored. Lucifer was disappointed he hadn't thought of bringing a flask of whiskey and snacks.

"What were guys expecting to happen here?" Chloe asked, stifling a yawn and looking bored. "You've clearly made a mistake."

"Humans." Charlotte muttered with a groan. "Always think you know more than you actually do. Idiots."

Lucifer agreed with his mother. This was just stupid.

The monks looked irritated, though. It was clear that they had expected something to have worked by now and they were getting increasingly frustrated that their plans were failing. Of course the Latin nonsense didn't work, but naturally the humans thought they knew what was best. Morons.

"Get the scroll." Brother Ryan said abruptly.

"Brother?" One of the other monks asked, obviously worried about something.

"Get it. If we cannot control the divine, we shall control the infernal." Brother Ryan said and one of the other monks scurried off to fetch whatever it was the bossman was talking about.

"Give it a rest, guys." Chloe groaned, dropping down onto her back and covering her eyes with her arm. "You screwed up. Let us go."

"Detective Decker, I don't believe you understand. We may have failed to call upon the power of the divine, but it was not our fate to attempt to control the pure and holy." Brother Ryan said as he approached Chloe and Charlotte's side of the room. "The wicked and sinful, on the other hand… that is something the Holy Father would praise us for capturing."

"Ooh! Is it my turn to wet my knickers in fear?" Lucifer cooed, sitting up excitedly and wiggling in his cot. Finally! Something interesting! "Do tell. Let me guess. An exorcism? Oh! Or maybe a Devil's Trap? Haven't seen humans attempt that one in centuries."

"Lucifer, knock it off." Chloe groaned at him.

"But Detective," Lucifer whinged, casting Chloe a brilliant smile. "Maybe they'll start Hail Marying or Our Fathering all over the place. I'm excited."

"You're a weirdo." Chloe laughed. Lucifer winked at her, proud that he'd made her giggle.

"Brother!" Exclaimed the monk who'd left, drawing everyone's attention back to the cast of fools. He was wielding a rather old looking piece of paper and handed it to Brother Ryan.

"Excellent." Brother Ryan said as he carefully unraveled the scroll. "Let's see how gleeful you are, Adversary, when this is over."

"Ooh, Adversary. Haven't heard that in a while." Lucifer grinned happily. "But if we're switching to nicknames, I much prefer Old Scratch."

The monk began to read the words and Lucifer felt his stomach drop to his feet.

It couldn't be…

"Gibberish." Amenadiel said with a laugh. "You're reading gibberish."

"It's not gibberish." Lucifer said, all of his glee now gone. He stood and paced towards the glass and glowered at the monks. How did they come into possession of such a scroll. It wasn't something humans should've been able to acquire, let alone READ. "Where did you find that?"

The monk didn't answer and instead continued to read.

 _"Dark Lord,_  
We seek the truth here not yet found,  
For underneath the fog there lies,  
So let this night be unlike others,  
And let the infernal show their colours,  
And let the meek and cowards run,  
For the darkness seeks out the light,  
Let the Light-bringer be set free,  
Let the Morningstar be born anew.

"Lucifer?" Amenadiel asked, his laughter gone and his tone full of concern. "What is it? I know not this language."

"Because it isn't one." Charlotte said, scoffing softly.

"Dimoori sheol." Lucifer said coolly, looking at Amenadiel. "The language of the Lilim. Of course none of you know it. It's only spoken in Hell. It's the language of demons."

"Okay, that's it." Chloe said sharply, sitting up and flinging her arms in the air. "I've had enough of this. Heaven, Hell, Demons, Angels… all of it. This is stupid and you all sound insane. I want out of here and these freaks aren't going to keep me from–"

Lucifer had barely heard what she was saying. Instead, he felt a sharp pain radiate from his middle as if a knife had slipped into his stomach and be groaned loudly, interrupting Chloe's rant.

"We may… have a problem." He gritted out and Amenadiel was at his side in an instant. Not that Lucifer wanted him there, but he supposed it was only instinct.

"Lucifer? What's wrong?" Charlotte asked, her voice pooling with concern. "Amenadiel, what's happening to him?"

"I don't know. Lucifer?" Amenadiel asked, grabbing his brother by the shoulders.

"Stop it…" Lucifer ground out, his body curling into itself as he wrapped his arms around his torso. The pain was getting worse. It spread from his belly over his chest and radiated to his back where it sat there, clawing him from the inside. It felt like he was on fire. He could just barely hear the monks as they continued to read. This was definitely not good.

"What is happening, Luci?" Amenadiel asked, his voice pleading. "Talk to me."

"It feels like… Like I'm being torn inside out." Lucifer ground out, the words slightly muffled because his jaw was clenched tight. The pain was quickly becoming unbearable. He was losing his focus and the world was starting to spin.

"Stop it! Stop! Can't you see you're hurting him?! Stop!" He heard Chloe shout over the ringing in his ears and the monk's words. "STOP IT!"

The monks kept reading and Lucifer collapsed, curling into himself as the pain flared. He knew this feeling. He'd felt it before, but in reverse. He was quickly reminded of a cold night on a beach and the smell of blood and the sound of feathers falling in wet sand.

"Lucifer!" Charlotte screamed and the monks kept chanting.

"Chloe!" Lucifer shouted, his voice coming out broken and hard. He rarely used her first name and he knew when he did, it guaranteed that he had her undivided attention. And he needed her to listen. If what he thought was about to happen came true, he needed her to listen to his commands. "Close your eyes. Chloe, close your eyes! Mom! Cover her eyes!"

It wasn't a request. It was a demand.

He hoped that his mother heeded his words because everything went to Hell, so to speak. Lucifer felt more than heard his back rip open and he screamed until he was sure his throat was bleeding. There was a flash and room was quickly filled with bright, white light. Blood was sprayed in every direction as his beautiful, massive wings spread out from beneath the skin of his back. The glass walls around them shattered with the force of the divine and the monks cried out at the sight.

There was still so much pain, but there was also rage.

How dare these humans meddle in something they knew nothing about? How dare they use infernal magic to call back his wings after Lucifer gone through so much to be rid of them? How dare they put his family and his detective in danger?

Lucifer's eyes burned bright red as his spread his wings to their full extension, their divine light shining brightly as he glared at the men of the Domini Canis.

The monks began to scream, but Lucifer was upon them in moment, his wings propelling him forward to thrust Brother Ryan back with such force that he was knocked unconscious, his head hitting the white wall with a satisfying crack.

Lucifer's wings, though it had been years since he last had them, worked as if he'd never lost them at all. He flung another monk away from him with one wing and slapped down another monk with the other. It was over in seconds. All four men were ended up lying at the Devil's feet, alive, but beaten soundly.

As he looked down at the offending humans, the pain and exhaustion finally caught up to him. Lucifer felt the world tilt sideways before he collapsed into his brother's arms. Amenadiel dropped to the floor with him and pulled Lucifer close, gently running his fingers through slightly bloodied feather.

"It's over, brother. It's over." He whispered to Lucifer, who was quickly finding it hard to stay awake.

"Protect her, Amenadiel." Lucifer said, his voice raw and scratchy from screaming. "Protect Chloe."

With that, Lucifer let his eyes close. He knew he was about to pass out, but one final thought crossed his mind.

Without a doubt, Chloe Decker would now know he was truly the devil.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments give me LIIIIIIIFE! I'm so excited you guys liked my first attempt at a Lucifer fic! I've got a lot of plot bunnies bouncing around in my head, so I'll get to those too, but mayhaps I'll continue in this universe as well. I wonder how Chloe is going to deal with all of this... hmm. Any ideas?


	3. In Ruina

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the aftermath of their encounter with the Domini Canis, Chloe and the rest of the group deal with the Detective's reaction.

It was all so much to take in. Chloe was sure that they had travelled through time at some point, because, before she knew it, she was sitting in Lucifer's loft at Lux with Maze looking at her with concern wrinkling her brow.

"Do you think she cracked?" The woman asked and Chloe's brain stuttered. No. Not a woman. A _demon!_

"Mortals are incapable of viewing divinity. I am surprised her brain isn't leaking out of her ears." Charlotte said with a disdainful frown. "Humans. Always leaking fluids. It's any wonder how they keep themselves together at all." 

"Now isn't the time, mom." Came Amenadiel's voice from somewhere behind Chloe. She was pretty sure that the other man had been taking care of Lucifer… Lucifer who had massive white wings sprouting out from his back. Lucifer who Chloe had mindlessly watched Maze and Amenadiel shove into the back of Mazikeen's truck. Apparently wings weren't meant for human transportation. Lucifer who was  _actually_ the devil...

"Look at her." Charlotte said with a sigh. "She's completely out of it. Soon she'll start drooling. 

"I'm not going to drool." Chloe said in a cracked voice. It was the first thing she'd said in hours. Had it been hours?

"You're alive!" Maze exclaimed before darting forward and giving Chloe a rather unexpected hug. It seemed that even the demon had realised her mistake because she quickly pulled away before awkwardly patting Chloe on the shoulder. "Right. Brain not goo, then. That's a plus."

"Is it, though?" Chloe asked with a humourless smirk. He brain _felt_ like goo. Her whole world had been flipped upside down. Lucifer was the devil. Her roommate was a demon. Amenadiel was probably an actual angel and who the hell knew how Charlotte fit into all of this nonsense. She was pretty sure that Amenadiel kept calling her _Mom_ which was freakin' _weird_.

"Well, you're not running screaming for the hills, so I'll take it." Maze grinned before pulling out her phone. "But, just in case, I should probably call Linda. She'll know how to help you deal with this better than these two asses." 

Maze gestured with her thumb to Charlotte and Amenadiel and the lawyer glared daggers back at Mazikeen.

"As if a _demon_ will be of assistance in such a delicate, _human_ matter." Charlotte hissed, crossing her arms over her chest to glower. "You'll probably just try to urinate on her or something vile like that."

Before Maze got a chance to react, Amenadiel stepped in between the two women.

"Alright. Let's calm down. Maze, call Doctor Martin. She will be of great help right now." Amenadiel said in a soothing tone. "Mom, go watch over Lucifer. He's really stressed out and will probably need someone there when he wakes up. I'll stay with Chloe until Linda gets here."

There was that  _mom_ thing again.  _Epically Weird_.

"Who made you king?" Maze asked with a smirk. She didn't wait for Amenadiel's response and instead sauntered out to the balcony to apparently call Linda.

Chloe remained on the sofa, watching everything unfold and finding herself unable to really keep up. She supposed her brain wasn't _broken_ per se, but she did feel like it was possibly floating in molasses or some other sticky substance that kept it from functioning properly.

"Chloe?" Amenadiel's voice broke her out of her really slow thought processes and she blinked up at him.

"Yeah? Yeah, I'm here." She said, though she wasn't sure that statement was entirely true.

"I know this must be incredibly difficult for you." Amenadiel said, taking a seat next to Chloe on the sofa. He was giving her a smile that reminded her of when she was a kid and her mother was trying to explain something about grownups to her. She didn't like the smile at all. "But I can answer as many questions as you wish."

"No." Chloe said sternly, the word coming before her brain caught up.

"No?" Amenadiel asked, looking confused.

When Chloe's brain finally tagged along, she realised why she was so quick to dismiss the other man. She didn't trust him. At all.

"No." She said again, shaking her head slowly this time. "You've done nothing but lie to me. Lie to Lucifer. Lied _about_ Lucifer. No. I'm not going to ask you damn thing."  

Now, she started to feel angry. They all knew. Amenadiel, Charlotte, Maze, Lucifer… well, she couldn't really be angry with Mazikeen or Lucifer. They always told her that they were devils and demons and whatever. And Charlotte… she never really interacted with Charlotte except for that one time during her father's trial. She knew nothing about the woman aside from the fact that she was a ruthless bitch who had it out for Lucifer's reputation. That left Amenadiel. 

"You told me that Lucifer was essentially crazy." Chloe said, her eyes narrowing at the man in front of her. "The whole thing with Malcolm, when Lucifer got shot, you told me that he was wearing a vest. Blood packs. Had planned the whole thing. He really _died_ , didn't he?"

Amenadiel, for what it was worth, seemed to look guilty.

"Yes." He answered solemnly. "He did die that day." 

"So you lied to me." Chloe said. It wasn't a question. 

"Yes." Amenadiel nodded, answering anyway.

"So how can I trust anything you say to me." Chloe responded. Again, it wasn't a question and she shook her head. "No. I'll wait. I'll wait for Lucifer to wake up and I'll ask him. Out of everything, he's _never_ lied to me. Never."

Lucifer had certainly  _omitted_ a  _LOT_ of things, but he never claimed to be anything but what he actually was.

"As you wish." Amenadiel nodded before standing and leaving Chloe be. 

_Good_. She thought to herself. _Serves him right. Liar_.

Standing herself, Chloe forced her brain to stop thinking about the insanity happening around her and instead she tried to focus on what needed to be done. If Maze was here, where was Trixie? What time was it anyway?

"Linda is on her way." Came Mazikeen's voice and Chloe nearly jumped out of her skin as she spun around to watch the woman… _demon,_ her brain reminded her unhelpfully… approach her. "Woah, Decker, chill. Linda is coming and I've already called your dolt of an ex to make sure Trix is picked up at school this afternoon. I took her in this morning when you didn't come home."

That… that was actually a relief. Chloe felt some parts of her body relax in the knowledge that Trixie would be nowhere near any of this madness.

"Good. Good." Chloe said, nodding and running her hands through her hair before ambling over to the bar. Now was definitely an appropriate time for a drink. When she reached out for a bottle of whatever she she could, she realised her hands were shaking violently.

"How about you let me get that for you?" Maze asked, giving Chloe a sympathetic smile before pouring her a generous glass of bourbon and handing it to the detective with a wink. "I'm sure you could use this right now, huh?"

"Yeah." Chloe sighed and took the glass with two hands, trying to keep herself steady as she took a sip… followed by a healthy gulp.

"That's the spirit, Decker." Maze chuckled and gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder. "I know it's a lot right now, but Linda will help. Don't listen to Amenadiel or the hell bitch. They are as manipulative as they come. Bastards."

"Charlotte… how… who?" Chloe could bring herself to find the right words.

"Yeah, thaaaat's a complicated subject and I don't think I'll be able to explain it properly without upsetting you even more." Maze said with a sigh. "Just drink your drink and let's calm down."

"Right. Calm down." Chloe said with a nod, not believing that she could calm down with all the liquor in the world at her disposal.

She wandered back to the sofa only to find Amenadiel and Charlotte talking to each other in hushed whispers. Chloe didn't like that at all, but she really didn't have the mental power to say anything or call them out on it. Of course, Maze didn't hesitate.

"Planning on blowing Chloe up again?" Maze said harshly. 

"What?" Chloe asked, blinking up at them with fear. What the _hell!?_

"No." Charlotte responded, rolling her eyes. "Lucifer is speaking in his sleep and I'm not sure what to do."

"What is he saying?" Maze asked, her brow furrowing in concern.

"He's calling out for his brothers and sisters. It doesn't make much sense." Charlotte said with a dismissive tone. "I only caught bits and pieces. He looks uncomfortable."

"It's a nightmare." Chloe supplied and everyone's attention was suddenly on her. She swallowed and shook her head before taking another sip of her bourbon and speaking again. "Look. Trixie talks in her sleep when she's having a nightmare. Maybe Lucifer is the same?"

"I've never heard him talk in his sleep." Maze shook her head. "And I've slept beside him before. Many times." 

"Yes, Mazikeen, we know you were my brother's consort for a millennia." Amenadiel growled and Chloe couldn't stop herself from the small smirk that pulled at the corner of her mouth. It seemed that Amenadiel was a bit jealous. Her smirk quickly fell away when she realised that he was jealous because Lucifer was the devil and Maze was his demon…. _damn_.

"Yes. I was." Maze said seductively, smiling lecherously at the man. "And it was _good_. _So_ good." She purred before dropping the act and shrugging when she turned to Chloe. "Still, never spoke in his sleep."

"Well, did he have a reason to be freaking out and having nightmares?" Chloe asked and everyone stared at her a moment before she cleared her throat. "I mean, aside from the whole falling from heaven thing."

"He was more angry about that, to be honest." Maze said, sighing softly. "But I wasn't around for the beginning. He was mostly alone for that. He wouldn't talk to any of us. He kept to himself for a very long time. We all feared him. He was an angel, after all. We all thought he had come to destroy us." 

"Stupid demon. Lucifer could _still_ do that." Charlotte said and that earned a growl from Mazikeen.

Chloe had to shake her head. It was getting too complicated again and her brain started to go off-line.

"Okay, stop… just stop. One step at a time, okay?" Chloe asked, downing the rest of drink before taking a deep breath. "Alright. Let's try this again, but without all the stuff that makes my head want to explode, yeah?"

"As you wish." Charlotte groaned before waving a hand at Chloe. "You said your child has had nightmares?"

"Okay, so when Trixie has a nightmare, first thing I usually do is try to wake her up." Chloe said, focussing on the thoughts of her daughter. That helped immensely with the craziness going on in her brain. "Did you try to do that?"

"No. Should I have?" Charlotte asked, raising a brow.

"Of course you… ugh." Chloe groaned and rolled her eyes. "So you just watched him suffer. Some friend you are."

"I am not his _friend_. I am his–" Charlotte began but Amenadiel quickly stepped in to cut her off.

"Why don't we just focus on helping Lucifer, yes?" Amenadiel said before taking the lawyer by the shoulders and ushering her back towards the steps that lead to Lucifer's bedroom. "Why don't you try to wake him up?"

"Fine, fine." Charlotte said, shaking off Amenadiel's hands and stomping out of sight.

Just then, the elevator gave a soft 'ding' and everyone whirled around to see Linda step off into the penthouse.

"Oh." She said, a frown on her lips as she took in the group. "Something happened. Maze said I needed to get here fast, but… Chloe?"

"Yeah." Chloe nodded and she watched as Maze stepped forward and nodded herself. There was something of an unspoken understanding between Linda and the demon before Linda turned to Chloe and gave her a warm smile.

"Why don't we sit down, hm?" She said, gesturing back to the sofa. "And Maze, grab Chloe a drink." The doctor said before noting the empty glass on the coffee table. "Well, another drink. She's going to need it."

"On it, boss." Maze grinned and Linda led Chloe to the sofa to sit with her.

"What should I do?" Amenadiel asked and Linda gave him a sharp look.

"You can go away. Go make yourself useful somewhere else." As the doctor spoke, Chloe noted the tone in her voice wasn't very friendly. It seemed there was a history there. If she wasn't so overwhelmed with what was currently happening, Chloe would ask. Later. Not now. _Now_ was too complicated.

"And me?" Maze asked as she set down two glasses of bourbon on the coffee table along with the bottle.

"Maze, I'd actually like you to stay." Linda said and Maze lit up like a Christmas tree. It was clear that she was thrilled that she got to stick around. Linda gave her a brilliant smile before turning back to Chloe. "Alright. Let's start at the beginning. What happened."

"Lucifer…" Chloe began, but her brain stopped again. She blinked a few times before reaching out and grabbing the bourbon. She took a good mouthful before setting the glass down again and taking a deep breath to try again. "Lucifer is actually the devil…. _god,_ I can't believe I said that…"

"It's okay. It's a step forward." Linda said in a soothing voice. She reached out and took Chloe's hands in her own and gave them a squeeze. "You are correct. Lucifer is the devil. I'm sure you've already realised that I know this to be true. It's why Maze called me. I can help."

"So are you some sort of freaky supernatural thing too?" Chloe blurted out and immediately felt bad. Sure, things were going topsy-turvy here, but that was no reason for name-calling.

"No." Linda said with a soft chuckle. "Just a boring old therapist with the motherload of complicated clients"

"Christ… how… how can you… make any sense of this?" Chloe asked in a hushed whisper. "It's crazy."

"You have _no_ idea." Linda said, her voice dropping lower as she shook her head. "But it's not about me right now. Tell me what you know. How did you find out?"

With a heavy sigh, Chloe released one of Linda's hands to grab her drink again. After one more healthy pull, she started speaking. She recanted the entire story about how they'd been kidnapped by the Domini Canis and the chanting before Lucifer sprouted wings and kicked their asses. Telling the story felt… good. It sort of helped her process it all. Maybe that was the point.

"And now he's passed out and I'm stuck with the fact that God is real, my roommate is a demon, and my best friend is the devil." Chloe sighed, finishing off her second drink and falling back on the sofa with a groan.

"To be honest, you're actually handling this much better than I did." Linda offered and Chloe sprang up from her place on the sofa and waved her arms around.

"Handling this!?" She shouted. "I'm not even _remotely_ handling this!"

Pacing away from the two women seated in the living area, she ran her fingers back through her hair and groaned loudly. She was starting to unravel and lose the very the very limp hold she had on her sanity.

"This is _nuts_! Completely nuts!" Chloe continued, her voice nearing shrill. "I don't believe in any of this crap and now I have definitive _proof_ that I was wrong and that the devil is asleep a room over! The _devil_! The actual, freaking, real, bible-written devil!"

"Okay." Linda nodded, remaining in her seat and keeping her voice even. It was a sharp contrast from Chloe's shouting. "And how does that make you feel?"

"How does it… How the hell do you think I feel!?" Chloe screamed, glaring angrily at Linda. What kind of a question was that? "I'm goddamned _terrified!_ "

"It was never my intention to frighten you, Detective."

The voice hit Chloe like a tonne of bricks everyone turned to see Lucifer leaning gingerly against the wood that framed the entryway to his bedroom. The wings were gone and he looked gaunt and tired and… sad.

No. Not sad.

_Heartbroken._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, since I left this at a cliffhanger, I suppose it's safe to say that there will be more to come. Poor Lucifer.


	4. Et Flamma De Tenebris

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What, exactly, was going on with Lucifer while Chloe was having her mini-meltdown?

_Everything was dark. Cold and dark. That was what he was surrounded by. His whole body ached with searing pain and, when he looked down at his hands, he was glad for the blanketing darkness because he was unable to see the damage he knew was there. The fall had been brutal. Horrible. Excruciating._

_It was cold and dark, but it wasn't quiet. There were strange and almost horrifying sounds all around him. Screams, groans, and what he could only describe as chittering from father-knew what sort of abominations lived down here._

_Hell._  

_He was in Hell._

_Samael let out a soft whimper and curled into himself more fully. He brought his wings, thankfully undamaged, around his body to shield himself from whatever it was that was clearly watching him._

_"Why have you abandoned me?" He asked quietly, the divine language sounding almost childish in his broken voice._

_~_

"We're right here, son." Charlotte said, in English, to the sleeping form of Lucifer. He was lying on his stomach, blanket pulled up to his waist as he gripped the sheets of his bed. Mazikeen and Amenadiel were careful to lay Lucifer down so that his wings remained unencumbered. The large, feathered appendages were splayed out from his back and twitched slightly as the man stirred. 

Charlotte was clearly out of her element here, but she couldn't help but worry over the Enochian words that escaped her son's lips in a quiet murmur.

"Everything is going to be alright." Charlotte whispered softly, reaching out to run her fingers through Lucifer's hair. "It's alright."

~

_Samael was met with silence. It was the first time in his entire existence that he could hear nothing. Usually the choirs of angels in the Silver City were a constant background hum, but now his head was empty aside from his own horrified thoughts._

_"Michael, Amenadiel, Gabriel… anyone?" He pled, but there was no answer. Nothing._

_He sat there for what felt like ages, trembling softly and trying his best to warm himself with his wings. He cried. Sobbed, more like it. It was an aching, abysmal noise that made the chittering of the creatures around him louder._

_After the crying came the begging._

_"Please. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what I did. Father, don't do this…" Samael whimpered in anguish. "Please…"_

_More silence. The chittering was getting more apparent and Samael realised that it was the Lilim. The children of Lilith. That meant that the horrible, disrespectful, ungrateful human woman was here as well._

_"Don't leave me with them, Father. Please!" Samael shouted, finally standing and feeling a burning sensation in his chest as he did._

_He was alone. He had been cast out of the Host and was now banished to the bowels of Hell for eternity._

_"How DARE YOU!?" The sadness had given way to anger. With a mighty rage, Samael spread his wings and hurtled upwards, heading straight for the gates. The sound of him hitting the barrier was as loud as thunder and he crashed brutally back down to the cold depths with acrimonious words on his tongue._

_"I am your son!" Samael shouted at the darkness. "I was once your favourite! How DARE you do this to me!?"_

_Silence except for the now seemingly distressed chittering._

_Sitting back down, Samael sighed and pulled his wings around himself again, willing them to cast light. They glowed only slightly, the divine power gifted to him from God only able to banish a small bit of the darkness around him. At least they warmed him._

_It was then he was able to see his skin._

_He was burned. Terribly burned. His angelic beauty had been scorched away to reveal the horrific visage of muscle and bone. And, holy Father in Heaven, it HURT._

_~_

Lucifer moaned in his sleep and Charlotte couldn't bear it any longer. She stood up from her perch at Lucifer's side and returned to the main area to speak to Amenadiel. She noted the detective and the demon by the bar and lowered her voice upon greeting her eldest son.

"Lucifer is distressed and I don't know what to do." Charlotte said softly.

"What do you mean, _distressed?_ " Amenadiel asked, raising a brow.

"He's speaking in the divine tongue, calling out for his brothers and sisters." She said, a scowl pulling at the corners of her lips. "I don't know what's wrong."

Mazikeen and Chloe took that moment to interrupt them.

"Planning on blowing Chloe up again?" Maze said harshly.

"What?" Chloe asked, her eyes going wide with fear.

"No." Charlotte responded, sighing in annoyance. "Lucifer is speaking in his sleep and I'm not sure what to do."

"What is he saying?" Maze asked, her brow furrowing in concern.

"He's calling out for his brothers and sisters. It doesn't make much sense." Charlotte said with a dismissive tone. "I only caught snatches. He looks uncomfortable."

"It's a nightmare." Chloe supplied and Charlotte's eyes narrowed on her. It clearly made the human uncomfortable, but she continued to speak regardless. "Look. Trixie talks in her sleep when she's having a nightmare. Maybe Lucifer is the same?"

"I've never heard him talk in his sleep." Maze shook her head. "And I've slept beside him before. Many times."

"Yes, Mazikeen, we know you were my brother's consort for a millennia." Amenadiel growled.

"Yes. I was." Maze said seductively, smiling lecherously at the man. "And it was _good_. So _good_." She purred before dropping the act and shrugging when she turned to Chloe. "Still, never spoke in his sleep."

"Well, did he have a reason to be freaking out?" Chloe asked and Charlotte raised her brows in disbelief. "I mean, aside from the whole falling from heaven thing."

"He was more angry about that, to be honest." Maze said, sighing softly. "But I wasn't around for the beginning. He was mostly alone for that. He wouldn't talk to any of us. He kept to himself for a very long time. We all feared him. He was an angel, after all. We all thought he had come to destroy us." 

"Stupid demon. Lucifer could _still_ do that." Charlotte said and that earned a growl from Mazikeen.

"Okay, stop… just stop. One step at a time, okay?" Chloe asked, downing the rest of drink before taking a deep breath. "Alright. Let's try this again, but without all the stuff that makes my head want to explode, alright?"

"As you wish." Charlotte groaned before waving a hand at Chloe. "You said your child has had nightmares?"

"Okay, so when Trixie has a nightmare, first thing I usually do is try to wake her up." Chloe said "Did you try to do that?"

"No. Should I have?" Charlotte asked, raising a brow.

"Of course you… ugh." Chloe groaned and rolled her eyes. "So you just watched him suffer. Some friend you are."

"I am not his _friend_. I am his–" Charlotte began but Amenadiel quickly stepped in to cut her off.

"Why don't we just focus on helping Lucifer, yes?" Amenadiel said before taking the Charlotte by the shoulders and ushering her back towards the steps that lead to Lucifer's bedroom. "Why don't you try to wake him up?"

"Fine, fine." Charlotte said, shaking off Amenadiel's hands and stomping out of the room and back to her son's side.

Lucifer had shifted in his sleep. His wings were now tucked neatly against his back like a blanket and he was murmuring in Enochian again, but Charlotte only caught a word here and there.

"Lucifer, my son?" Charlotte said, stepping closer to sit back down beside him and put a hand back in his hair. "You should wake up. You're in distress."

~

_He must have sat in that cold darkness for years. It felt like years. It probably wasn't years, but it still felt like time had forgotten him._

_"No." Samael said to himself, shaking his head. "I will not tolerate this any longer."_

_Standing, he held out a hand and a small ball of illuminated starlight appeared in his palm._

_"Let there be light." He said, smirking at his own, sad joke before focussing and casting the ball of light upwards. He smiled as the light grew brighter and then, to his horror, careened down to the ground, lighting the putrid earth aflame._

_"NO!" He shouted and cast another star. And then another. And then another._

_The darkness began to slowly dissipate to be replace by a fiery glow. The ground began to melt and turn molten. Ash kicked up into the air and began to fall from the sky like snow._

_"No! No! NOOOO!" Samael cried as star after star crashed down and turned the dark, cold landscape into a hot, acrid, pit of fire and brimstone._

_The chittering had stopped. It was replaced by cried of fear and horror. Now Samael could see what was watching him with terrified fascination. The demons were everywhere, cowering in fear as he lit their world on fire. The angel roared at them and they skittered further away in horror. All except one. She stood out from the rest and watched him with both fear and curiosity._

_After a moment of silence, Samael met her gaze. He saw the challenge and interest there._

_"What is your name, vile creature?" He demanded and the demon only looked at him in confusion. Of course demons didn't speak the divine language. They were unclean monsters undeserving of such beauty to grace their tongue._

_Curious, Samael tried again, stepping towards the creature. She held her ground which the angel found impressive._

_"Name?" He said again, this time pointing at himself. "Samael."_

_It seemed like the demon had caught on and she inched closer before saying, "Mazikeen."_

_"Mazikeen." Samael nodded and the demon seemed proud. She should be. When would a member of the heavenly host ever deign her with the blessing of calling her by name? It was then Samael realised that he was no longer a member of his father's choir. He was cast out. He was… he was a monster._

_"Do all angels look like you?"_

_The question caught Samael by surprise. It came in the form of a human tongue. He looked up and the demon Mazikeen was watching him, eying him carefully._

_"No." He answered sternly, annoyed that he had to use a language spoken by lowly humans._

_"So they aren't as beautiful as you?" She asked and, again, Samael was surprised._

_"Beautiful? I'm am destroyed. Ripped viciously of my angelic countenance." He growled and he felt something hot burn inside him._

_"Then it is an improvement upon a flaw." The demon said with a smile. Watching her smile was strange, given that she only had half of a face._

_"Tell me, demon." Samael said, his tone growing seductive. "Why are you not afraid of me? What do you desire from speaking with me?"_

_Mazikeen continued to smile, unaffected by the angel's charms._

_"I wish to know you, Samael." She said and the angel frowned._

_"I suppose I am no longer the poison of my father. Samael is gone. Burned away to reveal this monstrous visage." The angel said, a touch of sadness creeping into his voice._

_"So? You are still clearly powerful. You brought us warmth and light." Mazikeen said, gesturing to the world around them. "You were the angel who lit the heavens, yes? The one the mortals call the light-bringer? The morning star? Lucifer?"_

_"Lucifer." Samael said, tilting his head in thought before nodding. "Yes. I have heard that name before. Perhaps… perhaps it's best to claim it as my own. Yes. I shall be…"_

_~_

"Lucifer!"

Lucifer startled awake and, before he could control it, flung himself off the bed with a flurry of feathers. There was a startled yelp to his right and he caught sight of his mother before he was able to settle himself and his wings down.

He felt like he'd been hit by the biggest lorry imaginable.

"Bloody hell…" He groaned, shifting and sitting up properly. It was difficult with the massive wings on his back, but he managed all the same. "Mum?"

"Oh, good. You were upset. The detective suggested I try to wake you. I suppose I owe her a credit. I cannot believe I am saying this, but she was right." Charlotte said and Lucifer felt a sharp pain in his chest.

Everything that had happened in the past twelve hours came crashing back to him. The Domini Canis, the demonic spell, his wings… _Chloe._

"The detective… is she…?" Lucifer was afraid to hear the answer. Couldn't even find himself any strength to voice it.

"Not a drooling mess, for starters. She's having a talk with that therapist woman of yours." Charlotte said with a shrug. "Honestly, all these humans aware of divinity. It's not right."

"Mum. That's enough. Grab my robe from the door. I need a drink." Lucifer said, already annoyed by her presence. He wanted to talk to Chloe. He wanted to assure her that he would never harm her. He wanted… he wanted her to stay. Father, he wanted her not to go running for the hills in fear.

Charlotte handed Lucifer his robe and, with a bit of focus, he was able to vanish his wings and pull the silk fabric overs shoulders. Gingerly getting up, he found himself far weaker than he would have liked, but that was probably due to the fact that the detective was still around. Strangely enough, his weakness comforted him. Chloe was still here.

Taking slow steps towards the door, he heard raised voices coming from the main room. Linda's familiar calm tones countered by Chloe's loud, anxious shouts.

"This is _insane_! Completely insane!" Chloe shouted, her voice nearing shrill. "I don't believe in any of this crap and now I have definitive _proof_ that I was wrong and that the devil is asleep a room over! The _devil_! The actual, freaking, real, bible-written devil!"

"Okay." He heard Linda say, her voice even and soothing. It was a sharp contrast from Chloe's shouting. "And how does that make you feel?"

"How does it… How the hell do you think I feel!?" Chloe screamed, and Lucifer shuffled towards the entryway to hear her answer. 

"I'm goddamned _terrified!_ "

It was like someone had shot him in the chest. He felt his heart crack and his stomach drop to the floor. She was afraid of him. Chloe was _afraid_ of him. No. He didn't want that. He never wanted her to fear him.

"It was never my intention to frighten you, Detective." He said quietly, garnering the attention of everyone in the room. Chloe looked shocked. She blinked at him, but Lucifer could see it. Chloe Decker had seen the devil for what he truly was and now feared his very presence.

_Damn._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I've changed this from "Complete" to "In-Progress." I am SO GLAD you guys like this so much. I guess I'm creating my own little universe here. Weird... Your comments and suggestions bring me to LIFE! Let me know what you think!


	5. Terrore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let the other shoe drop.

"Lucifer. You're awake." Linda stated calmly, a clear attempt to defuse the absolutely horrific tension in the air. It was palpable to everyone in the room.

Chloe, for all her bravery, was staring at Lucifer like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car.

"Yes, though not rested." Lucifer replied, watching Chloe carefully before making his way to the bar. He made sure to give her a wide berth. He didn't want to frighten her off. She was still here and that counted for something. What he did next had to be thought out very carefully.

"I heard. You must be in pain." Linda said, continuing to maintain a casual tone. It was awkward and everyone breathed a little tighter for fear that the quiet that had settled around them would suddenly shatter.

"Just a small ache now. Nothing a bit of John Walker can't remedy." Lucifer said, putting on his most charming grin as he shuffled behind the bar to reach for the bottle mentioned. "I see you've gotten into the Four Roses. Excellent choice, detective."

Chloe blinked before following Lucifer's line of sight to take note of the bottle that was still sitting on the coffee table.

"Yeah." Chloe replied dumbly, her eyes focussing on the bottle and blurring out a bit.

"I prefer the Cyrus Nobel, myself." Lucifer said, breaking Chloe out of her staring contest with the bourbon on the table to call her attention back to him. "But an delightful choice, nonetheless."

"You're the devil." Chloe said, her tone blunt and slightly empty.

Lucifer was raising a glass to his lips when her words struck him. He closed his eyes and his smile fell from his lips. Well, it was no or never, as the saying goes.

"Yes. I am. As I have told you. Repeatedly. At nauseam." Lucifer said softly, slowly lowering his glass back down onto the bar. "But I suppose seeing _is_ believing, yes?"

"You… you've got… I mean… I don't…" Chloe was struggling and now that she had Lucifer in front of her, she could feel her heart rate increasing exponentially every second that passed.

"Chloe?" Linda said calmly. "Why don't you come sit?"

Chloe turned around and saw Linda and Mazikeen. Then her eyes flicked over to Amenadiel who was loitering by the balcony doors. Swivelling her head, she saw Charlotte leaning against the door frame at the top of the stairs leading to Lucifer's bedroom.

They were all watching her.

It was too much.

"I… I can't…" Chloe said, shaking her head and running her hands through her hair for the millionth time in the past few hours. "I can't. I just… I have to go."

Her final words were clipped and fast as she made to bolt for the lift.

"Chloe, wait!" Linda called out, but Lucifer raised a hand as a signal for her to let the detective go.

Chloe scrambled into the elevator and, a moment later, was gone.

Everyone, aside from Lucifer, stared at the lift doors, all apparently waiting for something else to happen when Lucifer's voice broke the spell.

"Mum, Amenadiel. I believe your presence is no longer required." He said stonily, eyeing his mother and brother with darkened eyes.

"Aren't you going to go after her?" Amenadiel asked, gesturing towards the lift.

"No. I believe it's best to give the detective some time to process, don't you agree, doctor?" Lucifer said, tilting his head slightly, but never breaking eye contact with his brother.

"Y-yes. Yes." Linda agreed, suddenly realising she was being addressed as her head turned between Lucifer and Amenadiel. "She's confused and scared. All of us here, it probably overwhelmed her. I know I needed space after seeing… It's just a lot for us to take in."

"You humans. You're so fragile." Charlotte chimed in as she made her way down the steps. "I was almost impressed by the detective, but I suppose my judgement was immature."

"That's enough, mum." Lucifer said, inclining his head toward the lift. "Time to go."

"Fine, but we will talk later." Charlotte said in stern voice. "We need to discuss the change in status. Your wings are–"

"Yes, yes. I've got my wings back. Glory me." Lucifer said with disdain. "Now, both of you. Out."

With no more fuss, Amenadiel and Charlotte showed themselves out. They were both clearly irritated, but Lucifer didn't care.

"What about us?" Maze asked, having remained silent through the entire exchange.

"Well, I highly doubt you can go home at the moment." Lucifer said with a shrug. "The detective now knows you're a demon. I doubt she will be thrilled to have you about right now."

"Actually, that might be a good idea." Linda said, and Mazikeen snorted.

"Seriously? You should have seen her before you got here." Maze smirked. "She nearly jumped out of her skin when I called her name."

"And then she took drinks from you and sat with you while she spoke to me." Linda provided. "I think it might help her cope if you go home and behave like normal. It's called _Acting As If_. You just pretend like nothing has changed even though new information has come to light. It may help Chloe realise that nothing _has_ changed. I know it helped me. You continued to treat me as your friend and I was able to see that you were the same Mazikeen I knew from before. I just learned something new about you."

"So, you're saying that sending Mazey back to the detective is a _good_ idea right now?" Lucifer asked curiously, making his way over to the sofa to join the two women. His strength was already starting to return now that Chloe had gone. He actually felt bad that he was feeling better. At least physically.

"Yes. Just don't bring it up. _Act as if_ everything is the same." Linda nodded and Maze smiled before standing up.

"Alright. I'm on it." Mazikeen grinned. "I already brought one friend back from loonyland, so taking on another one should be child's play."

"But be gentle with her, Maze. I don't want the detective more broken than I've already made her." Lucifer said, a frown pulling at the corners of his lips.

"Psh. Don't worry. I got this." Maze grinned before heading out on her mission. "Decker is strong. She'll come around."

It was a long time before either Linda or Lucifer spoke after that. The devil nursed his drink and gazed out the balcony windows while Linda sat there, patiently waiting.

"Alright. I can't hold it in anymore." Linda said, breaking the silence. "Let's see 'em."

"Doctor!" Lucifer exclaimed, grinning like the cat who caught the canary and giving her a wink. "I thought we moved passed that sort of arraignment."

"Uh uh, Lucifer." Linda shook her head. "I am not going through this insanity without getting peek at the goods. You scared the crap out of me with your devil face, the least you could do is show me your wings. Consider it payback for my everlasting existential crisis."

"Touché." Lucifer grinned before sighing and nodding. He slowly set his glass down and then made to remove his robe. "I must warn you, though, glimpsing divinity is much more… alluring than seeing the infernal."

"Yeah, yeah." Linda said with a shake of her head, waving her hands impatiently. "Enough stalling. Spread 'em."

"Oh, Doctor, how I do miss our little romps." Lucifer grinned before dropping his robe to the sofa, standing, and slowly unfurling his wings from his back. He had to be careful about it. They still ached from disuse and they were quite large. He watched them spread out and moved slightly so that he didn't send anything flying of tables.

As stressful as the whole endeavour had been, it did feel good to quite literally spread his wings. He didn't even know how tense his back was until he felt the strong pull of familiar muscles in his shoulders loosening up. For the first time in a while, he felt powerful, regal, and mighty. His wings were bright and beautiful, just as he remembered them. When he looked down to see Linda's response, he couldn't help the swelling of pride at the awestruck look on her face.

"Oh my _god_." Linda said aghast.

Lucifer's wings immediately drooped and he frowned in disgust.

"Really? _That's_ the first thing you say?" Lucifer groaned, rolling his eyes. So much for being regal. "Don't bring _Him_ into this."

"Sorry, sorry." Linda said, blinking rapidly before shaking her head and standing. One hand slowly began to reach out towards the feathers to Lucifer's right. "May I…?"

Lucifer, trying his best not to be too harsh, pulled the wing away.

"As much I appreciate a bit of heavy petting, Doctor, I would prefer you remain hands off." He said, a gentle smile on his lips.

"Right. Sorry. That was rude of me." Linda said, snatching her hand back and cuddling it against her chest to keep it from moving again.

"Nonsense." Lucifer chuckled. "Of course you want to touch them. But I would request that you don't."

"Is that blood?" Linda asked and Lucifer looked at her in confusion before curling one wing around himself to see that yes, there was blood staining his usually pristine wings.

"Oh dear. Would you look at that. Must have gotten on them when they sprouted." He said, tucking his wings against his back before vanishing them completely. "Would you do me a favour and take a look at my back? It's probably a right mess."

Turning away from Linda, Lucifer heard her confirming gasp.

"Ah yes. I take it that it probably looks a bit gnarly back there." He said with a nod.

"You look like you slept in a pool of blood." Linda said softly. "Are you still bleeding? Do you mind if a check? Clinically?"

"Of course. You are a doctor, after all." Lucifer consented. It wasn't long before Linda had given Lucifer a medical once-over and declared him completely unmarred.

"Now that you've pointed out that I'm covered in my own fluids, I very much desire a shower." Lucifer said before reaching down and pulling on his robe again. "I offer you an invitation, but–"  


"No, no. That's quite alright, thanks." Linda said, holding up her hands in defence. "I should probably get going anyway. I have a whole day's worth of clients to reschedule."

"Understood. Well, I bid you farewell, doctor. And thank you for your help today." Lucifer said and Linda smiled.

"Any time. You let me know if you need more help. Chloe is going to have a rough time of it and I know what it's like. I'll text her to let her know." Linda said.

"Much appreciated, doctor." Lucifer said before he escorted the good doctor to the lift.

Once Linda was gone, Lucifer let his shoulders fall. He needed a shower and he needed rest. He also needed to groom his now irritatingly present feathers of all the blood and viscera caked within them. With a heavy sigh, Lucifer made his way to his bathroom and tried his best not to think about the looming potential loss of his detective.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY LUCIFER DAY! What did you guys think of "Candy Morningstar?" I'm just a tad bit sad that we only get a few episodes before they go on break until season 3, but that being said, here is another chapter! Clearly I was in the mood thanks to the return of the series! WOO! As always, let me know what you think!


	6. Alis Contritum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Oh, this is going to drive me insane." Chloe sighed to herself as she stepped inside her dark apartment and locked the door behind her. She needed a shower. And a nap. And a drink. Though, she had probably already had enough alcohol at Lucifer's…
> 
> Lucifer.
> 
> Lucifer was the devil.
> 
> _Updated in honour of the "Let's Wing It" fic exchange that I was not a part of. Y'all invite my arse next time, yeah?_

Chloe was definitely having a rough time. She had to get an Uber home, which made things even more awkward. The cheery driver had tried his best to talk to her, but she remained glazed over until she had to be tapped on the shoulder and told that she was home.

Slowly getting out of the car, she ambled around the corner and to her front door where she was greeted by an empty apartment. That was actually a really welcome sight at the moment. No Trixie, no Dan, no Maze…. _Maze the demon._

"Oh, this is going to drive me insane." Chloe sighed to herself as she stepped inside her dark apartment and locked the door behind her. She needed a shower. And a nap. And a drink. Though, she had probably already had enough alcohol at Lucifer's…

Lucifer.

Lucifer was the devil.

"Shower." Chloe said out loud to derail her thought process. This was going to be a _long_ day.

She was able to call out of work. It was a simple enough task. The lieutenant had been forgiving after Chloe fed the woman a story about a long stakeout gone bust. Unlike the Devil, Chloe had no problems lying… much…

"Okay… shower, and sleep. Those sound like valid plans. Get it together, Decker." Chloe breathed to herself and headed upstairs to the bathroom.

She took her time. There was still blood in her hair. She was thankful that the Uber driver didn't seem to notice that. Thankfully, she had been wearing dark clothes when she was taken, so the spatter wasn't visible. Granted, these clothes were going to have to go. There would be no getting them clean now… now that they were covered in _angel_ blood.

"Christ…" Chloe sighed out loud as she slowly rinsed soap out of her hair for the second time. There was no need to skimp on the cleaning today. "Wait… can I say that? Can he hear me?"

Like, the _actual_ Jesus? Oh man… this was really going to drive her insane.

Luckily, or unluckily, depending on how you looked at it, the slam of the front door alerted her to no longer being alone. It was far too early for Trixie and she had gotten a text from Dan wishing her well… so that only left one person… or… _demon_ …

"Decker!" Came Mazikeen's voice from the bottom of the stairs, clearing up Chloe's wonder over who had entered her home. "You're not trying to drown yourself, right?"

There was humour in the woman's tone which made Chloe feel surprisingly better.

"Not yet." Chloe shouted back, turning off the taps and grabbing a towel.

"Good, because I did not want to have to deal with a body." Maze laughed. Chloe heard a door slam and she could only guess that Maze had holed herself up in her room like she usually did when Trixie wasn't home and when there were no bounties to hunt. It was all unsettlingly normal.

Getting out of the shower, Chloe quickly dried herself off and got dressed in a pair of old sweatpants and a t-shirt. It took her brain a moment, but she suddenly realised which shirt she held in her hand. It was the green _Sol de Javier_ shirt that Lucifer had thrown at her the day he got vomited on. Something about it clashing with his style. She smiled softly before remembering rather quickly that she was smiling at a memory of the Devil.

Okay. She needed to talk about this.

"Maze!" Chloe shouted, pulling the t-shirt over her head and stomping downstairs in search of her roommate.

"You alright, Decker?" Maze asked, poking her head out of her bedroom to smirk at Chloe's clothes. "Ooh. Guess not. You look like Hell."

"You would know." Chloe responded snarkily which made Maze's smirk grow to a genuine smile. 

"You're right. I would." Maze said as she slowly stepped out of her room, crossed her arms, and leaned against the doorjamb. She clicked her teeth and tilted her head, clearly curious. "So?"

"So." Chloe sighed, all her snark deflating as the weight of everything settled on her shoulders again. "You're a demon."

"Yup." Maze said, popping the 'p' at the end of the word.

"And… that's it? You don't have, like, bat wings or anything, right?" Chloe asked, looking down at her bare feet and blushing slightly.

"Nope." Maze responded, again popping the consonant. "But I do have another face."

Chloe's head shot up and she looked at Maze with wide eyes.

"Another face?" Chloe repeated in question. "Like, a demon face?"

"Yeah." Maze said, smiling brightly and pushed herself off the doorjamb with her shoulder to move past Chloe and head towards the kitchen. Within moments, she was pouring herself a glass of vodka. She held up the bottle for Chloe and the detective just shook her head. 

No. She had drank enough already this morning… which was a phrase Chloe had never thought she'd have to think.

"Well…" Chloe began, taking tentative steps towards the kitchen, but never getting too close to Maze. As much as she wished she wasn't, she was afraid.

"You wanna see, dontcha?" Maze asked, taking a sip of her drink and winking at Chloe. She put down her glass and sighed softly. "It isn't pretty, you know. The face of a demon. But if you want to see it, I'll show you. I trust you, Decker. I like you. I don't like a lot of people."

"Yeah, mmm… I know that." Chloe said with a short nod of her head. "I just… I'm not sure if I'm ready. The wings were a lot."  


"Linda said you'll come around." Maze shrugged and returned to her drink. "It took her weeks to process. Only took you a few hours. You're damn resilient, Chloe."

"Thanks?" Chloe said, a small smile pulling at the corner of her lips. Maze thought she was strong enough to deal with this. A demon of Hell thought she could handle this. That was… actually kind of cool.

"You're freakin' welcome. Now, get your act together and pull your brains off the floor so you can go talk to Lucifer and get back to business." Maze said, her tone not so much condescending as it was encouraging. Chloe appreciated that.

"I'm not going to sleep, am I?" Chloe sighed and ran her hands through her still-damp hair.

"Probably not." Maze said and took her drink to head back to her room.

"Of course not." Chloe sighed at her roommate's closed door.

* * *

It took about three hours for Chloe to pull herself into some semblance of _together_. It wasn't really _together_ , but it was _together_ enough for her to get properly dressed, grab her wallet and keys, get in her car, and start driving to Lux.

She really wasn't sure what she was going to do when she got there. At least she sort of knew what to expect. She'd convinced herself not to be afraid of Lucifer. There was really no need. In the two years they'd worked together, Lucifer had done nothing to encourage her to fear him. Sure, he was childish, short-tempered, and slightly weird, but all of that sort of made sense now.

Lucifer was the devil. He didn't know how to properly behave around humans. Well, he certainly didn't at first, but the more she had thought about it, the more Chloe realised how much he'd grown and changed. He was learning. It was actually really endearing.

"Okay. Wings. Don't freak over the wings and you'll be fine. He's the same Lucifer. Same guy who sexes up half of LA and drinks way too much and smokes way too much and hits on you way too much…" Chloe said to herself as she pulled into the underground parking lot beneath the club.

It was still far too early for anyone to be there. Not even the staff of Lux. So, she had no worries of being stopped or derailed from her quest. Hopping out of her car, she took note of Lucifer's convertible parked in it's usual spot. Chloe smiled to herself. She honestly couldn't help it. What was it about her partner that always made her feel… _feelings_.

Getting into the lift, Chloe pushed the access code for the penthouse (an addition Lucifer added after he had supposedly been shot at in his home too many times) and took a deep breath. She could do this.

"I can do this." Chloe said to herself as the elevator slowly climbed. She was expecting Lucifer to be there, wings outstretched and looking as angelic as ever. What she got was something entirely different.

When the lift doors opened, the room was empty. Chloe slowly stepped out to see if she could find the missing devil, standing on her toes to try and see into his bedroom. Nope. Not there. Maybe he'd left? Though Chloe doubted that. He was still really weak. Was he in the bathroom? Did angels _need_ bathrooms?

"Buggering hell!" Came an exclamation that had Chloe nearly jumping out of her skin. "Damned, sodding, unwieldy, nuisances!"

The voice, which was clearly an aggravated Lucifer, was coming from the balcony. Slowly, Chloe crept up to the open doors to find, not a regal angel of the Lord, but a irritated club owner up to his waist in the hot tub, picking at sodden and rather gangly-looking wings that floated over the surface of the water.

They took up almost the entirety of the hot tub. A quick guess had Chloe putting the wingspan at about fourteen feet. Each wing was at least as long as Lucifer was tall. Seeing them crammed into a space that was clearly not meant to hold their size was interesting. It was like Lucifer was bathing in clouds.

The water of the hot tub was actually tinged a bit orange as the devil slowly picked out blood and broken feathers. He would wince and groan and mumble to himself every now and then, but he looked annoyed above all else.

"Wing trouble?" Chloe asked softly and the response she got settled her fears tenfold. Lucifer startled in surprise and his feathers twitched wildly, causing water to spray everywhere. It was all really undignified and Chloe couldn't help but giggle softly.

"I'm glad you're enjoying the show, detective, but you don't have to deal with these feathery pains in the arse." Lucifer grumbled as he settled down. He was obviously lost to irritation because it took him a moment to register that Chloe was even standing there. When it dawned on him, his expression immediately softened. "You're…. here."

"I am." Chloe nodded, giving Lucifer a shy smile. "You look like you could use some help."

Lucifer looked utterly shocked, tilting his head like confused puppy. It was a very typical Lucifer face. One that Chloe was intimately familiar with. She'd clearly said something that he didn't expect.

"I've got it handled, detective. You should be resting." Lucifer said, his voice calm, but tense.

"Yeah, not going to happen." Chloe sighed and stepped forward onto the balcony to take a seat on one of the beach chairs. "There's no way I can sleep with all this divine stuff rattling around in my brain. At least I'm not terrified anymore, so that's a start, right?"

"Right." Lucifer nodded, still not having moved an inch since Chloe found him. Was he afraid of scaring her?

"I'm not afraid of _you_." Chloe said and, before Lucifer could respond, she added, "I'm afraid of what all this means. You're still you, but now God is real and so is heaven and hell and all that stuff. It's a lot, ya know?"

"I do." Lucifer nodded.

They remained silent for a long moment, just staring at each other before Chloe stood.

"You have a spare bathing suit and some pliers?" She asked and Lucifer raised a brow. Chloe blushed and smiled before pointing to the wings. "My mom got me a baby parakeet when I was little, but my dad taught me how to take care of her. You've got a couple of broken blood feathers there and, if you don't remove them, you won't heal properly."

"You… know how to groom wings?" Lucifer asked, utterly shocked.

"You'd be surprised at what you don't know about me." Chloe said, feeling the tenseness of the moment settle over her. "It'll help if you… if you let me help."

Lucifer thought about it for a long moment before nodding.

"As you wish, detective. There should be at least two or three new suits in my closet. As for the pliers, check behind the bar." Lucifer informed her and Chloe nodded, not asking for any more clarification.

Once out of his sight, Chloe sighed out her tension. This was going to be so ridiculously difficult. She was trying her best to act like nothing was wrong, but _everything_ was wrong. She headed to Lucifer's room to start poking through his enormous closet. As promised, she found a few bikinis with price tags still attached. He most likely kept them around for guests who didn't bring suits for themselves and weren't relaxed enough to go skinny dipping.  Chloe chuckled to herself as she thought of all the men and women who probably stood where she stood. Unsurprisingly, she found some new swim trunks as well. For the gentlemen in Lucifer's life. He truly was a little devil, wasn't he?

Picking out a simple black bikini, Chloe quickly changed and headed back out into the main living area to dig behind the bar for a tool box. She found one that was clearly never used by Lucifer. Probably Maze. It had the normal essentials in it. Hammer, spanner, nails, and pliers. Chloe grabbed the pliers and made her way to the balcony to find Lucifer with his back to her.

He was still in the hot tub, but he had moved to the edge and his head was resting on his arms while his wings continues to slowly swish back in forth in the off-colour water.

"I'm back." She said, causing Lucifer to jump slightly. "Sorry. Didn't mean to startle you."

"No, no. Quite alright. I was… dozing." Lucifer said as he looked over his shoulder at Chloe. He turned more fully then and his grin turned slightly lecherous. Of course it did. "You look stunning, detective. Care to revisit your Hot Tub Highschool days?"

"Shut up." Chloe scoffed before climbing down the stairs next to the hot tub. The water felt lovely even if it was a bit… gross. "You're going to have to drain this thing and give it a thorough cleaning."

"Wouldn't be the first time, my dear." Lucifer smirked and Chloe grimaced at the thought of what he was referring to.

"Ew. How about we just focus on the task at hand, yeah?" She said, trying to shake the thought of how many people Lucifer had probably had sex with in this hot tub. Ew again…

Lucifer chuckled and turned so that his back was to Chloe. She had a bit of a time wading around the giant wings, and finally snapped.

"Okay, here. One at a time. Just fold this one." She instructed, not even thinking as she reached out and grabbed the humerus of Lucifer's left wing. Immediately, the devil froze and Chloe panicked. "Oh no…! I'm sorry! Did I hurt you?"

She let go as if burned and Lucifer hissed out a sigh before turning to look at her with a bit of pink flushing his cheeks.

"No, no… it's just…" Lucifer groaned slightly before shaking his head. "You're the first to actually touch them."

"Oh." Chloe breathed out.

"Yeah. Oh." Lucifer said and his shoulders and wings slumped in unison. "It's okay if you don't want to. I can probably handle it if–"

"No. No. I got it." Chloe said, pushing past the awkwardness of being the first person to touch Lucifer's new wings and reaching out again to gently caress the right one until it stretched out it's full length. Lucifer visibly relaxed, almost melting over the edge of the hot tub.

"Okay?" Chloe asked and all she got back was a soft hum of approval. Well, that was something to take note of for the future. Lucifer turned to goo when his wings were stroked. Who would have thought?

Chloe was incredibly gentle to start, but eventually things got brutal. Blood feathers were no joke and, if left untreated, could continue to bleed until the owner died. Granted, Lucifer wasn't some tiny little parakeet, but he was still bleeding pretty good. Using the pliers, Chloe tried her hardest not to hurt him as she began plucking the broken feathers out at the root.

Screaming did not cover the sounds that Lucifer made as she ripped the few pins out from his skin. The whole thing was a little surreal, but familiar. She done this before, but on a much smaller scale and Lucifer didn't threaten to bite her every few seconds from pain, so that was a plus. There were only a few broken feathers on each wing, so it wasn't long before she's plucked them all out and began slowly rinsing his wings and grooming the feathers properly.

"There ya go. Hard part is over." Chloe said in a soothing voice and tensity in the muscles of Lucifer's back slowly released and he eased back onto his arms over the edge of the tub. "That's it. Just relax. Let's get you cleaned up. You have a hose? You're going to need a final rinse once you're out of the hot tub."

"Mm? Uh, yeah. It's over there." Lucifer said drowsily and nodded his head towards the faucet by the door.

"Okay. Almost done." Chloe said before pulling away after about the hour of careful cleaning. "There. Come on. Let's rinse you off."

Lucifer was unresponsive at first and Chloe chuckled. Yeah, she'd definitely have to remember this. Lucifer was always wired and ready to go. Fidgety and bored most of the time. Now he seemed like he had turned into a puddle of I-don't-care. It was nice. Calm. Something she'd never seen in Lucifer before.

"Alright, Lucifer. Up." Chloe said in her best mom-voice, patting him soundly on the shoulder before climbing out of the tub to fetch the hose. She rinsed herself off first. The idea of bloody water on her skin was not a nice one. The water from the hose was cold, but also refreshing after the heat of the hot tub. She then turned the cold water on Lucifer, spritzing him playfully and startling him out of his daze.

"Alright! Alright! I'm getting out." Lucifer said, clearly a little annoyed that his snoozing had been interrupted.

"Quit your whining. You're wings will be nice and clean and think of how nice that will feel." Chloe said, before laughing out loud. Lucifer looked confused again and she shook her head. "I'm sorry. I used to say that to Pickle when she got crabby about being cleaned."

"Pickle?" Lucifer smirked, raising a brow as he slowly climbed out of the hot tub. Thankfully. He was wearing swim trunks.

"Uh, yeah. She was green." Chloe said before gesturing with her index finger for Lucifer to spin around. As he did, he spread his wings nice and wide. It was the first time he'd displayed for Chloe and she had to catch her own breath after a second. Even wet and slightly drowned, they still looked incredible.

With a nod to herself, Chloe started up the hose.

"Alright, it's cold." She warned before turning the mist onto Lucifer. She got a yelp for her efforts and laughed softly as the devil tried his best not to dance away from her.

"Bloody hell, detective, a bit more of a warning would have been nice." Lucifer groused, but allowed Chloe to rinse off his feathers. 

Five minutes later, Lucifer no longer looked like he'd been through battle with those wings. They were now a beautiful, pearly white, shining brightly in the afternoon sun.

"Just hang there. I'll go get some towels to start drying you off." Chloe said but Lucifer abruptly turned and grabbed her by the wrist.

"No need, detective. Haven't you ever seen a bird dry it's own wings?" Lucifer asked and Chloe started to answer only to have her response buried by three intense blasts of air as Lucifer flapped his wings hard and heavy. Water droplets flung everywhere and Chloe couldn't help but laugh at the silliness of it all. She had to close her eyes against the onslaught, but when the wind died down, she opened her eyes to an utterly gorgeous sight.

"Oh my–" Chloe began but stopped herself before she name-dropped the big man himself. Lucifer probably wouldn't have appreciated that.

Lucifer Morningstar released Chloe's wrist and stood back to spread his wings out, full and glorious as they were intended to be. Chloe's mouth went dry as she gaped. Sure, they were stunning when she first saw them, but now they were absolutely enthralling.

"Lucifer… they're so…" She couldn't find the words. She just shook her head and shamelessly gaped at him, her eyes wide with awe before settling on the brilliant grin on his face. 

"I know." Lucifer grinned before pulling them tight against his back and then vanishing them altogether. Chloe started to speak but Lucifer held up a hand. "No, I don't know where they go. It's all a bunch of divine nonsense anyway so I never learned. Amenadiel can probably answer that question for you. But, for now, how about we have some wine and I'll order us some lunch?"

Chloe closed her mouth and tilted her head for a moment to think before giving on firm nod.

"Alright. I think… it's time we talked." She said, knowing that there was no avoiding it any longer.

"Yes. It's time to talk." With that Lucifer lead Chloe into the penthouse to begin what was probably the hardest conversation either had ever had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three months was way too long to make you all wait. Unfortunately, this is only a filler chapter. No talk yet. It's be done so may times, I'm finding it hard to be original. I hope you like it while I figure out what to do with the Domini Canis. They are definitely NOT gone. :)


	7. Mendacium ex Veritate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's finally time for the dreaded "talk." Lucifer and Chloe finally sit down and address the fact that the detective's partner really is the devil himself.

Lucifer and Chloe sat in the parlour of the devil's penthouse staring at each other for a very long time. Clothing had been put on, much to Lucifer's disappointment. Lucifer opted for shirtsleeves and trousers while Chloe just changed back into what she'd worn to his apartment. They both had drinks in their hand with the bottle resting on the coffee table. It was the same bottle of Four Roses that Chloe had dug into just after discovering that her partner was truly an angel fallen from Heaven. They had each consumed a glass before Lucifer grabbed the bottle and brought it with him to plunk down on the sofa next to Chloe.

"Right–"

"So should we–"

They both started to speak only to talk over one another. Lucifer bowed his head and smirked.

"Go on, detective." He said with a soft smile.

"No, you go ahead." Chloe said, shaking her head.

"No, I insist. What's the phrase? Ladies first?" Lucifer smiled, the tension visible at the corners of his eyes as he took another sip of scotch.

"Right." Chloe nodded before letting out a big sigh. "I really have no idea where to start."

"You start where everyone naturally does." Lucifer said, gesturing vaguely with his hand, his expression turning to one that was much more genuine. "At the beginning."

"Mmm... Right." Chloe sighed, before tilting back her glass and finishing her second scotch with two gulps. She winced at the burn of the alcohol in her throat but appreciated the moment of pause. "The beginning."

"Alright. I get that this is not an easy conversation. Trust me. I know. I'm about to vibrate out of my bloody skin, but we have to talk about this, right? It's important?" Lucifer said, his tone growing to something that sounded almost pleading. "I don't know how you're feeling or what is going through your head. When Linda found out, it was a mess. Is this going to affect our relationship or make you hate me–"

"I would never hate you." Chloe said in a firm tone, cutting off Lucifer's slight ramble. "I  _couldn't_ ever hate you. You're my best friend."

She even bolstered the statement by reaching over and placing a hand on Lucifer's knee.

"How could I hate you? You're my partner and my friend and you've always had my back." She said and that seemed to help. Lucifer's eyes softened in that way that Chloe had learned to identify as  _Lucifer is feeling feelings and doesn't know what to do with them_. "What I'm having trouble with is the whole Heaven-and-Hell-and-God-and-the-Devil-are-real thing. I actually don't think I'm having much of a problem with you  _actually being_ the Devil. It actually makes a lot of sense, really."

"It does?" Lucifer asked, his eyes still wide and jarringly innocent.

"It does." Chloe nodded. "You've done so many things that are just so hard to explain. I mean, within the first twenty-four hours of meeting you, I watched you get shot six times without so much as flinching. Well, I mean, you flinched a bit, but I think that was more from surprise..."

"How was I supposed to know Jimmy was still conscious?" Lucifer scoffed, finishing his own scotch and happily refilling their glasses. "He got what he deserved."

"He did. What,  _exactly_ , did you do to him?" Chloe asked, not stopping Lucifer from giving her more scotch. She even eagerly held out her glass. It was going to be one of those nights, for sure.

"I showed him I am really the devil." Lucifer shrugged before tensing up and looking at Chloe in horror. "And before you ask, no, I will not be showing you."

"What? Why? It's not like I don't already know." Chloe said, feeling almost offended that Lucifer would deny this from her after all they'd gone through in the last thirty-six hours. "How bad can it be? And  _you_ said you couldn't prove it to me. Remember? When we were following the biker boss looking for your wings... oh... they really stole your wings, huh? How... I mean... what..."

"Detective." Lucifer said, stopping Chloe from going on a strange tangent. "How about this, I'll tell the story and you listen. We can hold questions for after, yes?"

Chloe tilted her head in thought for a moment before giving Lucifer a confirming nod.

"Right. Well, I suppose we can skip over the created in Heaven before the dawn of humanity and cast down into Hell bit. You already know that part." Lucifer nodded before placing his drink on the table, sitting up and rolling up his shirtsleeves. "Okay. So, I ran Hell for millennia. That is not an exaggeration. It was literally a millenia. Probably more. But after a while, you stop counting. Six years ago, I decided I'd had enough and quit. I took Maze, who was my right hand, and I flew as hard and fast at the gates of Hell as I could. By that point, I'd grown strong. I ruled over the underworld and it bowed to my will. So, instead of just leaving for a trip, which was known to happen on occasion, I left for good.

"Coming to earth, the mortal world, isn't as easy as one might think unless you're an angel. It would have been a clean ride for me alone, but I'd brought Maze." Lucifer said, tilting his head to one side with a soft smile. He was infinitely glad he had brought her. She'd been and had remained indispensable to him. "So it was a bit of a struggle bringing a Lilim with me."

The look on Chloe's face made Lucifer chuckle softly.

"Just as Archangels are the most powerful of the heavenly host, Lilim are the most powerful in the realm of demons." Lucifer clarified and Chloe nodded in understanding. "So, Maze and I landed on a beach in Los Angeles, I had her chop off my wings so that my father knew I meant business, and we haven't looked back since. Well, Maze has. Multiple times. But I'm staying. I like it here and no one on earth, in Heaven, or from Hell is going to make me leave."

"Good." Chloe said and Lucifer gave her a surprised smile. She chuckled and shrugged. "I told you, I need the eggs."

"Ah yes, your ridiculously ludicrous joke about a man who thinks he's a chicken." Lucifer smiled and nodded to her. "So, now you may ask questions."

"I told you, I don't care that you're the devil." Chloe stated and Lucifer scoffed softly and she shook her head. "No, seriously. I don't. It makes sense and I'm actually kind of surprised I'm handling it so well. I wasn't earlier, but grooming your wings helped. Made it... normal, I guess? But you don't scare me. Maze doesn't either. I know you both have your hearts in the right place. You're both good, regardless of what other people say.

"It just..." Chloe shook her head, sipped some scotch, and then continued. "My problem is that God is real. Like,  _The_ God. Heaven is a real place. There is an afterlife. It's all real."

"It is." Lucifer nodded.

"It's just so much. How am I supposed to handle it all? Do I have to go to church now or something?" Chloe asked and Lucifer barked out a laugh.

"Father no! I would resent it if you did. My father's head is big enough. We don't need to inflate his oversized ego even more by sending you to him as well." Lucifer laughed and Chloe started to giggle a bit herself.

"Yeah. I doubt I'd be very good at worshipping him. He seems like a giant asshole." She said and that got Lucifer truly cackling. He had to put his scotch back down lest he spill it.

"Oh, detective. You truly are a woman after my own heart." Lucifer laughed, shaking his head and wiping tears of glee from his eyes. "I really hope you say that to his face some day."

"You have my word, if I ever meet Him, I will." Chloe smiled and patted Lucifer's knee again. "Okay, so... questions. What's Heaven like?"

Lucifer's laughter slowly died down and he shook his head.

"Actually you'd be surprised at how similar Heaven and Hell actually are. Most humans would be." Lucifer stated, reaching back out for his scotch and taking a sip before continuing. "Yes, Hell is hot and dark and foreboding and Heaven is white and comfortable and calm, but they are both comprised of hallways made for containing souls."

"Containing souls?" Chloe asked, slightly confused. "Heaven is a prison?"

" _I_ certainly felt like it was, but no. It's not. Technically, neither is Hell. Most souls could walk out of their own Hell whenever they pleased, but they can't. I've never seen any of them do so and, as I said, I'd watched over the wretched place for millennia." Lucifer smirked. "Remember when we were in that server room and I said  _take away the blinky lights and this place reminds me of Hell_? I meant it. Just think of long corridors with doors leading into private rooms. That's Heaven _and_ Hell. Depending on where you go, a soul will be put in a room that gives them either their own personal paradise or their own personal torture. It's rather efficient."

"I always thought Heaven was some big giant garden or something..." Chloe said, reaching up to rub the back of her neck.

"There are gardens. That's the main difference between the Silver City and Hell. Souls in Heaven can leave their rooms as they please. In Hell, they are trapped." Lucifer explained. "They only way they can get out is if they no longer feel guilty for their sins. You can imagine how often that happens."

"But I've met some pretty awful people who don't feel guilty at all." Chloe said, her brain reminding her of some of the most horrible criminals she'd come across in her years as cop.

"Ah, yes. There are some exceptions in the case of Hell. Those doors, they have locks on them. Proper locks that cannot be broken. Only I can open them. Or one of my Lilim." Lucifer said, gesturing to elevator as if to indicate Mazikeen. "Those souls get  _very_ special treatment."

"Like Malcolm?" Chloe asked, her voice growing uncharacteristically quiet. Lucifer's eyes grew dark and a small sound rumbled in his chest. To Chloe, it sounded a lot like a growl.

"Most certainly like Malcolm. He's one of the very,  _very_ few reasons I regret leaving Hell. I would certainly have had fun playing with him." Lucifer said coldly and Chloe could have sworn that his eyes flashed red.

"Did your..." She pointed at him a moment. She'd seen that before but always chalked it up to a trick of the light or her imagination. Now, she wasn't so sure. "Did your eyes just turn red?"

"What?" Lucifer blinked and all the stormy emotions that were beginning to blanket his expression vanished.

"Your eyes. I swear, they flashed red. And I can't help but think I've seen them do that before." Chloe said, leaning forward and squinting slightly as she examined Lucifer's face. "I always thought I was seeing things, but do your eyes actually turn red? Like, because you're the devil?"

Lucifer looked like he did when Trixie hugged him. Confused and utterly unable to determine how to proceed.

"It's okay if they do." Chloe said, starting to think that maybe he thought he'd scared her. "It's actually kind of cool if they do."

That helped, because Lucifer's expression shifted away from panic and more towards confused.

"Cool?" He asked, not entirely following.

"Yeah. Cool. Bright, glowing red eyes of the Devil. Is that what you show bad guys?" Chloe asked, hoping that she was easing the tension and that maybe Lucifer would show her properly.

"Well, sometimes, yeah." Lucifer nodded.

"Show me." Chloe said, an excited smile on her face.

"What? No." Lucifer protested, shaking his head and pulling away from the detective.

"Come on, Lucifer. What are some glowy eyes in comparison to those massive wings?" Chloe asked, and Lucifer had to concede her point. The wings were far more intimidating than his eyes.

"Fine, but keep in mind that it's not just a simple glow. It's the fires of Hell manifesting. Hell is part of me, no matter how much I wish I could get away." Lucifer said with a sigh. "It's scary."

"I'm not scared of you, remember?" Chloe said, giving Lucifer a knowing look.

"Fine, fine. Ready?" He asked and when Chloe nodded, Lucifer took a deep breath and then let his eyes flare with the heat and power of the depths of Hell. He watched the detective carefully, but she didn't flinch. She just leaned closer and looked deep into his eyes.

"Lucifer..." She breathed out and it was then that the Devil realised that Chloe was so close that her breath brush against his face.

"Chloe..." He responded, unable to really do anything with her this close. He was afraid that she was breaking. Maybe this was too much for her. Maybe this was the final straw and Chloe would see him as a monster. Maybe...

"So awesome!" Chloe exclaimed, pulling all of the drama out of the moment and forcing Lucifer to blink his eyes back into their normal brown.

"Awesome?" He asked, now completely baffled.

"Yeah. And people freak out over that?" She asked, and Lucifer just nodded dumbly. "Well, I guess some people are wimps. I think it's really cool."

"So you've said." Lucifer responded before smiling. He couldn't help it. Chloe thought that the eyes of the Devil were cool. It made him feel... well...  _cool._

"There's more, isn't there?" Chloe asked with a sly smile and that question doused Lucifer's pride with ice water.

"There is, but..." He began, but before Chloe could protest, he held up a hand. "I'm just not ready to show you. It's intense and frightening and perhaps we can leave it for another day?"

Chloe blinked at him for a moment and then nodded. They had made tremendous progress, why ruin it by pushing too hard?

"Alright. Of course." Chloe smiled, patting Lucifer's knee for the third time that evening. "We've got all the time in the world. Thank you, so much for sharing all of this with me. It's helping me understand a lot."

"You're most welcome, detective." Lucifer smiled, his body relaxing when he realised that Chloe wasn't going to push the matter any further. "And Doctor Linda is, I'm sure, more than willing to help you cope with the existential crisis of learning that the celestial is real. There is so much more that you don't know, but I think that telling you everything would probably be a bit of an overload."

"I believe it." Chloe nodded and grinned. "So how about we table the talk for now and go grab something to eat? I'm starving."

" _That_ is an excellent idea, detective." Lucifer said, putting down his drink, standing, and holding out his elbow for Chloe to join him.

"I have those every now and then." Chloe said, also abandoning her third scotch to take Lucifer's arm. "Burgers? I could really go for a burger."

"Burgers it is." Lucifer grinned, and with that, he led the detective out of the loft feeling a bit better about life in general.

* * *

 

_Across the street from Lux..._

"The Adversary and the Detective have just left the establishment. Shall I follow them, sir?" Came the gruff voice of the man sitting at the counter of the coffee shop across from Lux. He watched, phone pressed to his ear, as Lucifer Morningstar and Detective Chloe Decker sped off in that garish corvette the Devil seemed to own.

"No. They will return. We are tracking the Detective's family anyway." The voice on the phone. "The Adversary is our prime target."

"I will continue surveillance, then." The gruff man replied.

"Good. Be sure to inform us when he returns to his residence." Said the man on the phone.

"Of course." The gruff man smiled. "For the Canis, Brother Ryan."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys don't understand how much you all following this story means to me. I've been dreading writing this chapter because it's been done so many times, but your support is what makes me continue to move forward. I'm seriously humbled by all your support. Thank you so much. This story originally started out of my own boredom and is now solely for all of you. It makes me feel so happy that I'm bringing a little happiness to everyone. Seriously, thank you.


	8. De Canibus Erroribus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just when Chloe thought things were going to be easy, they get much worse.

Dinner, in Lucifer's eyes, was perfect. He and the detective went to a particularly awful-looking vegetarian restaurant that Chloe insisted on and it turned out to be utterly delicious. There was no telling from the look of it, but Lucifer had decided that this would be one of his favourite places to dine in the future. He looked completely out of place in the joint, what with his three-piece, Prada suit, but that didn't matter. All that mattered to the devil was that Chloe Decker was there. She even insisted on buying, which, after a short fight, Lucifer allowed. Small victories, he supposed.

The rest of the evening was short-lived, Chloe having to work in the morning and Lucifer having to get back to Lux to make sure things were running smoothly. They parted way with smiles on their faces, both of them feeling better after their talk and the dinner that reminded them that they still worked. Whatever they were. Lucifer hadn't even made an inappropriate suggestion that she stay. It was all strangely peaceful.

Maze was waiting for Lucifer when he arrived in the lift to his Penthouse. He had just been contemplating just what the detective could be to him when the demon spoke, breaking his train of thought completely.

"Where have you been?" She demanded, leaning against the bar, holding one of her demon blades and spinning it between her fingers with ease. She had a look of irritation about her that Lucifer had come to know as her default setting on earth.

"I was out with the detective." Lucifer beamed brightly, more than happy to share how well his day had gone with Chloe. "Did you know that there is a lovely vegetarian place not far from–"

"I don't care about food. You're being followed." Mazikeen said in a huff, stomping over to Lucifer and glaring up at him. It was like their height difference didn't matter. Well, in Mazikeen's case, it didn't. She could easily go toe-to-toe with the archangel if she wanted. "If you weren't so busy staring at Chloe's ass, you would have noticed him too. He's been camped outside Lux for hours."

Lucifer blinked at Maze before scoffing and moving to retrieve the bottle of Four Roses sitting on the coffee table. He poured what remained of Chloe's glass into the one he'd used previously and finished the liquor in one gulp before refilling his tumbler and sauntering back to Maze.

"Firstly, I was not staring at Chloe's arse." Lucifer began and, seeing Maze's eyeroll, he smirked. " _Much_. And as for the strange bloke across the road, yes, I did notice him. He was there when we left and was still there when we returned."

"So, you did see him?" Mazikeen frowned and Lucifer gave her a knowing look.

"I may be a bit distracted as of late, but I'm still the Devil, my dear. Of _course_ I saw him." Lucifer purred over the rim of his drink before taking a sip.

"So? What are you going to do?" Maze asked, her eyes flashing. It was clear she was annoyed that he wasn't getting to the point. Always in a rush, his demon.

"Why, nothing, of course." He shrugged and Maze let out a bark of humorless laughter.

" _Nothing_!?" She exclaimed. "Seriously? You've got some weirdo cult after you and one of them could be stalking you right now and you're gonna to do _nothing_?!"

"Relax, Mazie. As long as the detective is away, those morons can't touch me." Lucifer said in a soothing tone, waving his glass toward the balcony windows as if to indicate the fool of a cultist outside. "And when I'm with her, she has a gun and a whole team of police officers around her. We'll be fine. They are only humans."

"You're an idiot." Maze growled and spun to leave only to have Lucifer catch her arm by the crook of her elbow.

"I said _I_ wasn't going to do anything." He said in a sultry voice, pulling Maze close. Even though they were no longer together in any capacity, Lucifer knew his sway over the demon. She seemed to arch a bit towards him in a suggestive manner. Old habits clearly did die hard. "That doesn't mean I can't send my scrumptious, little demon after them."

At Lucifer's words, Mazikeen's face slowly morphed from a glower to a sly smirk.

"No killing anyone, Maze." Lucifer purred and, before Maze could protest, he continued, " _Yet_. I want you to get to know our friends first. They have magic. _Lilim_ magic. I want to know how they got it. If they've got more spells from Hell, I need to know."

Lucifer's orders kept Maze's smile in place and she nodded.

"You're going to pay me, right? I'll have to give up on bounty gigs for this and Chloe get's pissed when I don't have rent money on time." Mazikeen said cooly.

"Yes, yes. I'll pay your rent and utilities for next month. Father forbid you do this out of the kindness of your soulless heart." Lucifer snorted with a roll of his eyes and let Maze go.

"I'll let you know what I find out." Maze called, sauntering off to the lift and pressing the call button. "Until then, you and Chloe shouldn't go prowling around alone."

"Don't worry about me, Mazikeen. You just focus on finding those foolish humans who dared to threaten me and mine." Lucifer said before adding, "And who forced these stupid wings back upon me. They certainly deserve punishment for that."

"Whatever." Maze chuckled, stepping into the lift car. "And I'm not cutting them off again."

Before Lucifer could protest, his demon was gone and he was left in an empty flat.

"Well, bugger."

* * *

 

The next day brought work. Chloe actually felt calm for the first time in a while. The previous night had set her mind at ease about a lot of things. It was actually slightly funny. It was hard to be worried about evil _people_ when you knew that angels were real. It really put a lot of things into perspective. With coffee in hand, Chloe headed to her desk with a smile, looking forward to her normal day with normal human problems.

"Hey, Clo." Dan said to her as she took her seat. She'd completely missed the frown on his face. She was just to happy to be back in the realm of normalcy.

"Morning." She smiled as she started to go through the files left on her desk.

Dan stared at her expectantly and it took her a moment to realise he was still there.

"What?" She asked, looking up at her ex-husband before wiping her face and then looking down at herself. "Did I dribble coffee or something?"

"What the hell happened the other day?" Dan whispered, leaning down to look intensly at her. "I got a call from Maze telling me to get Trixie from school because you've got _head trauma?_ And then I didn't hear from you at  _all_ yesterday? Come on, Chloe. What is going on?"

Chloe was suddenly hit by a torrent of guilt. She totally forgot to reach out to Dan in all the confusion the day before. Maze telling her that Trixie was okay and in his care was all that registered to her.

"Oh. Right. Mmm. That. Well, I had a rough night." Chloe said, her brain suddenly working on overdrive to come up with _something_ to tell Dan. She couldn't tell him that she was kidnapped by a crazy cult and then spent the next day trying to wrap her head around angels, demons, and  _God_ being real, could she? "Lucifer and I got caught up while investigating a cult. I was up all night. Maybe Maze didn't catch my message properly. You know how she can be."

It wasn't entirely a lie. Lying suddenly felt wrong. If the _Devil_ didn't lie, surely she should feel bad about doing it, right?

"A cult? Seriously? What happened?" Dan asked, genuine concern marring his features. It seemed he was buying her line, but Chloe felt bad all the same.

"They got away. But I'm sure we'll get another lead soon." Chloe clarified before holding up the small stack of files on her desk. "Until then, I've got other cases to worry about."

"Well, you've got one that takes priority." Came Ella's voice as she approached Chloe's desk. "Just got called out. Double homicide on Cimarron. Race ya there."

Ella had come and gone in a flurry and Chloe was thankful that there was something to pull her away from possibly having to lie even more to Dan. He was trying so hard to do right by her now that she just didn't have the heart to lie to him. That was probably going to cause trouble later.

"I suppose that settles that." Chloe smiled at Dan as she stood, pulling herself together and getting ready to take on a new, pressing case that was thankfully normal. "I'll text you later. It's taco tuesday tomorrow, so I need you to to pick up some things."

"Yeah, yeah." Dan smiled and shook his head before waving Chloe off. Good. Potential problem with her ex avoided for now. She'd have to talk to Lucifer about that at a later time. They really wouldn't be able to keep Dan in the dark for long. Especially if she kept getting pulled into weird, supernatural stuff. Trixie needed to be kept safe and, if Dan knew what was going on, he'd be able to help at a moment's notice.

When Chloe got in her car, she texted Lucifer the address she got from dispatch. She was finally relaxed, happy to get back into the swing of things with a nice, normal, human crime.

* * *

 

This was most assuredly  _not_  a nice, normal, human crime.

Lucifer could tell the moment he showed up at the scene. The second he stepped into the rather dull-looking home, his nose was assaulted by the acrid smell of blood mixed with an all too familiar scent.

"Sulfur." He said out loud as he stepped into the parlour.

"Exactly." Ella said, standing up from what was left of a body to smile at Lucifer. "Place reeks of it, right? At first, I thought maybe somebody died with full intestines, but I checked. No major excretions upon death. Then I thought that maybe, because both victims were disemboweled, the gas leaked into the air, but that should have dissipated by now. Maybe someone threw a stink bomb to cover their tracks, but that would be a weird MO, right? Because who throws a stink bomb to throw off killing someone?"

"Ella." Chloe interrupted, giving the forensic analyst a small wave to get her attention. "What do we know for sure?"

"Right. Well, aside from the sulfur that Lucifer picked up on, this actually reads like an animal attack, sort of." Ella replied.

"Sort of?" Chloe responded, squinting slightly at the woman. "How can something be  _sort of_ an animal attack?"

"Well, if you look here." Ella began, crouching down next to what looked to be the body of a woman. Lucifer couldn't really tell. All her insides were assuredly her outsides now. "There are multiple lacerations across the chest and abdomen in really clean and precise patterns."

"Like claw marks." Chloe nodded, but Lucifer shook his head. No. Those weren't claw marks. He knew what those were.

"Exactly, except not. They  _look_ like claw marks, but the cuts are too clean. Come here, look." Ella waved excitedly and both Chloe and Lucifer leaned over to see the forensic analyst peel back a bit of skin just below what could possibly be a breast. Chloe cringed slightly. "Nice and clean, which is crazy, right? You'd have to be one hell of a knife wizard to make marks like these on both bodies and not leave any of your own blood at the scene. Everything we've tested so far matched the blood types of the bodies here. Maybe the killer has the same blood type as one of our vics, but I won't know for sure until I get back to the lab."

"Do we know who these poor sods were?" Lucifer asked, not sure if they should have his pity or indifference.

"Not yet. They didn't have any ID and, as you can see, no photos around the house." Ella said with a wave of her hands.

"Detective?" A uniformed officer interrupted, leaning around the corner of an entry way deeper in the home. "You should come see this."

Chloe nodded to Lucifer and the two of them followed the officer around the corner and down some stairs into the basement.

"Why is all the creepy stuff done in the basement? You'd think weirdos would learn simple creature comforts and start somewhere more comfortable, like the bedroom." Lucifer said before chuckling to himself. "Though, I'm sure some weird stuff _does_ take place there, too."

"Lucifer." Chloe said, aiming for a warning tone though she missed entirely. It was probably the small smirk on her face that killed it.

When the officer stopped walking, Chloe and Lucifer took in the scene before them. The smell of sulfur was even worse here. There were candles and strange symbols painted in red all over the floor.

"Is that... blood?" Chloe asked, her features scrunching up in distaste.

"Yes." Lucifer nodded with a frown, moving over to a bowl that was on some sort of alter. Inside was the mangled remains of a chicken. "And this poor soul seems to be our third victim. At least it isn't human."

"Seriously? A chicken?" Chloe groaned, leaning over to peek at the bowl. "Haven't we done this before?"

"Detective, a word, if you don't mind." Lucifer said, his scowl growing darker as the morning continued. He knew what this was. He hadn't seen it done properly in a long time. At least, not with _this_ result. He pulled Chloe aside and whispered softly under his breath. "A demon killed those people upstairs and they are most certainly members of the group that kidnapped us the other day."

"Woah, woah, woah, slow down." Chloe hissed, waving her gloved hands at Lucifer and shaking her head. "How the hell do you know that? Is it some sort of devil-sense thing?"

"What? No. Well, not really. I just know the signs." Lucifer said, looking over at the scene before turning back to Chloe. "Look, I _know_ this was a demon. The sulfur is a tell all."

"Okay, but the only demon around is Maze, right?" Chloe asked. "Are you saying Maze did this?"

"What? No, no, no!" Lucifer exclaimed, his voice raising enough to draw the attention of other officers. He grimaced before turning towards the basement wall and pulling Chloe closer. "Okay, let me break this down as succinctly as possible, and please try to follow along, detective."

Chloe made to speak, but Lucifer bowled over her with quick words.

"That mess of symbols over there is a summoning circle." Lucifer said, pointing to the blood-red nonsense on the floor behind them. "It's written in Dimoori sheol. Remember that? Demon language? Anyway, it's made to summon a demon from Hell to do the bidding of it's summoner... only the writing is slightly off. Instead of summoning a lesser demon, those idiots upstairs summoned a Lilim. Lilim only do the bidding of the Lord of Hell. Me. Well, not just me, but certainly not some human cultists."

"So you're saying that the bodies upstairs are the God-dog people and they screwed up by summoning the wrong type of demon?" Chloe asked, her voice hushed. She clearly wasn't buying this.

"Yes, detective, that is precisely what I'm saying." Lucifer sighed, shaking his head. "You saw how the bodies were laid out. They were running  _away_ from the back of the house. Surely Miss Lopez will conclude that they were running away from their attacker, which would be correct. They were running away from the demon they summoned using magic they know bloody sod-all about."

Lucifer was getting exasperated and he gulped in air to continue his whisper tirade.

"I already have Maze tracking one of their members. He's been watching me, not-all-too-inconspicuously, since yesterday. These idiots clearly did not learn their lesson when I thrashed them the last time." Lucifer said, his voice growing into the same soft growl that Chloe had heard before when they briefly spoke of Malcolm Graham.

"Okay, okay." Chloe said, placing a hand on Lucifer's elbow. "So, if this is a weird, strange, weirdo, magic case, what do I do?"

That gave Lucifer pause. This was the first time that he could actually tell Chloe the whole truth. He wouldn't have to sneak around behind her back or pretend like nothing was wrong. They were on the same page. Even though the situation was a mess, it still felt good to have his detective on his team.

"They clearly have Hell magic. And they definitely don't know how to use it yet." Lucifer nodded. "Work the case like normal and I'll text you the moment I hear anything from Maze. I'll also bring in Amenadiel and Mu... er... Charlotte."

"Wait, Amenadiel I get, but what is it with Charlotte?" Chloe asked and Lucifer sighed.

"Yeah, I suppose I need to explain that one to you as well." Lucifer said with a nod. "Can you come to Lux tonight? If these people are following us, we shouldn't be left alone for too long."

"I can't. I've got Trixie, remember?" Chloe said, shaking her head.

"The little spawn, of course." Lucifer grumbled. Human children could be such a burden, though Lucifer had to admit that Chloe's child wasn't  _that_ bad. "Bring her along. We need to continue our talk so that at least you understand what's going on in the here and now."

"Lucifer... I don't know." Chloe balked slightly and Lucifer touched her arm gently.

"Please, detective. Worse case scenario puts her in danger as well." He said, not liking the way the thought of Beatrice being harmed made him feel. "Just bring her along and we can sit her in the Library to watch telly or something."

"Alright, but I don't want her involved in all this craziness. She's just a kid, Lucifer." Chloe said, a pleading look creeping in to her eyes.

"I will do my best to protect her from the grim truths of the real world, detective." Lucifer nodded. "You have my word."

With a sigh, Chloe turned around and headed back to the scene in full Detective-mode. Well, clearly not  _full detective mode,_ but close enough to keep suspicion off the real matter at hand.

The scene still needed to be completely processed, so Chloe made an excuse about following some sort of a lead. She and Lucifer parted ways, Chloe promising to meet Lucifer later at Lux and Lucifer heading out to find his brother.

It was time to bring the Dogs to heel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one got away from me a bit in length, but I'm sure you won't complain. All the Sherlock writing I used to do really paid off in crime scene writing. I think Ella was the easiest character to write, by far.
> 
> Seriously, you are all the best! Thank you so much for following this story and encouraging me to keep going. Your comments, kudos, and bookmarks give me life! <3


	9. Timere Cadere

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucifer discovers something about himself and Chloe brings Trixie for a sleepover... weird, right?

"And these religious zealots have magic. Actual,  _real_ , magic?" Linda repeated and Lucifer shook his head.

"Yes, yes. That is what I've said at least four times now, doctor." Lucifer said with a roll of his eyes before squinting at the woman seated across from him. "Have you suffered a head injury or something?"

"Lucifer, you have to bear with me here. I've only just begun to wrap my head around all of this celestial truth." Linda said, her tone remaining as calm as possible. "Sure, angels and demons and God are real, but magic... magic is almost _more_ fantastical."

"More fantastical than a grown man with gigantic, white, wings sprouting from his back?" Lucifer asked with a smirk, quirking one elegant brow. "I've told you of the powers Amenadiel once had. The powers I  _still_ have. What did you think it was? A trick?"

"No. I just didn't know that spells and incantations were real." Linda said softly.

"Well, now you do and the morons using them have no idea what they are doing. They are going to get innocent people killed if they continue on." Lucifer sighed, reclining back on the sofa and rubbing his hands over his thighs. "At least the detective knows now, so we can communicate far more precisely about such matters."

"I'm glad to hear that Chloe is dealing well." Linda nodded.

"Frighteningly well." Lucifer chuckled with what looked like sheer disbelief. "It's a bloody miracle that she hasn't run for the hills."

"We already know that Chloe is special. Your powers don't work on her." Linda observed. "So, perhaps, your divinity doesn't either."

"Possibly, but I honestly don't care what it is. She's okay and we're still on the same team." Lucifer grinned. "As I said. Miracle."

"And now you've got another demon running loose?" Linda asked, her brows furrowing in clear and well-warranted concern.

"No. At least, not that Maze, Amenadiel or I can find." Lucifer shook his head and leaned forward to explain. "Summoning a demon is completely different from physically bringing a demon onto this plane of existence. I brought Mazikeen through the gates of Hell to earth. Hell of a flight that was. Pun intended. Whatever demon was summoned was only brought here temporarily, by magic. Once the casters were dead, the spell dissipated and the demon returned to Hell. Though, I must admit I am very curious as to _who_ came. I hope it wasn't Alistair. He's a right prick."

"Okay, okay. So no need to worry about some random demon offing people in Los Angeles." Linda nodded, seemingly speaking more to herself than Lucifer. "That's good."

"Yes. It is. I've got enough problems with these zealots. It took me no time at all to lose their tail, but it is growing a bit annoying." Lucifer grumbled softly, leaning back into the sofa. "And Mum is no help. All she wants to talk about it going back to the SIlver City. Like I'm just going to spread my wings and ferry her off upstairs."

"So, you still don't want to help her and you brother go home?" Linda asked.

"No. Of _course_ not. Putting my mum in front of the pearly gates would start a bloody war. Emphasis on the _bloody_." Lucifer said with an exasperated sigh. "And I've had enough heavenly wars for eternity, thank you very much. Not to mention the celestial fallout. Earth would be put in the middle of a massive divine battle. That would most certainly not end well for you squishy mortals."

"I appreciate the forethought." Linda said in a low voice. "Seriously. Thank you."

"You're more than welcome. I've come to like it here." Lucifer smiled charmingly. "I don't want to see it all end in fire and brimstone. As much as the Bible claims, I'm no fan of the apocalypse."

"Alright, so let's focus on the here and now." Linda nodded, clearly trying to remain professional. "Let's talk about your wings. How do you feel now that you have them back."

Lucifer's brilliant grin vanished and he looked away from Linda before sighing loudly.

"Annoyed, mostly. And Maze won't cut them off. Asking Mum or Amenadiel to do it would be ludicrous, so it seems I'm stuck with them." The devil said before a thought popped into head. "Unless..."

He began to smile again, turning his charm on full-throttle and looking seductively at Linda. The therapist wasn't expecting it and fumbled for a moment, blinking dazedly at Lucifer before she finally caught on.

"Oh no. No, no, no. I'm not doing that." Linda said, shaking her head and trying to look away from the Devil's enchanting gaze. "Nope. No way."

"Oh, come now, Doctor. You've got the skills. The knowledge. It would be incredibly simple." Lucifer purred, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "I could relieve Maze of one of her demon blades. Snip snip and Bob's your uncle."

"And God is your father. No way." Linda said, standing and beginning to pace. "I am not going to piss off another almighty being. No. And as your therapist, I can't, in good conscious, aide you in self-harm."

"Well, how about as a  _friend,_ then?" Lucifer asked, remaining seated and watching Linda move nervously. "I don't  _want_ them. All they represent is servitude. I am not one of his soldiers. Not anymore."

Linda stopped her pacing and glared at the window. She took in a deep breath and then let it out with a dramatic sigh before turning to look at Lucifer with steel in her gaze. Lucifer saw the resolve there. He'd lost this battle.

"No, Lucifer. I will not help you cut off your wings." Linda said sternly. "That is final."

"Fine, fine." Lucifer groaned, holding up his hands in surrender. "So be it. But I refuse to use them."

"Use them? You mean like flying?" Linda asked, grateful for the subject's change in direction.

"Yes. Flying, healing, returning to Hell to take back my throne. None of it." Lucifer growled, standing and straightening his suit jacket.

"Can you fly?" Linda asked but Lucifer was already at the door.

"I believe that is enough for today. I have to meet my brother to talk about these stupid mortals and their demonic book of shadows." Lucifer said coldly. Before Linda was able to respond, Lucifer gave a curt "Good day, doctor" before vanishing out the door and leaving Linda feeling like she'd just  _finally_ scratched the surface of something important. She'd have to bring that up in their next session.

* * *

 

_"Can you fly?"_

Linda's voice echoed in Lucifer's mind for the rest of the evening, making his meeting with his brother and mother a bit more annoying than usual. They were both still annoyingly focussed on returning to Heaven and getting revenge on Father, which was  _not_ the concern of the moment. And people thought that  _he_ was the one with the ax to grind. He'd left his mother's office in a huff and headed back to Lux only to find himself finishing off the bottle of Four Roses and standing on the edge of the balcony watching the sun begin to set over the skyline of Los Angeles.

Could he fly?

He hadn't tried. Not yet. It wasn't like he didn't know  _how_. The muscle memory was there and he'd flown for eons before chopping the feathery monstrosities off. Finishing his drink, Lucifer thought that he should at least  _check_ to make sure everything worked. As much as he loathed the idea of using his wings, there could come a time where his hand was forced and he didn't want to try to take off only to find himself as useless as a fledgeling.

Putting down his glass on the small plastic table by the hot tub, Lucifer flexed his shoulders and flung out his wings to their full extension. It hurt, but not in a bad way, per se. It was like a really good massage or stretching a muscle that had been little used... well, that's exactly what is was, wasn't it? It was a good pain.

Sighing, Lucifer slowly, gently, began to move them. It was like slow-motion flying. He didn't put any power behind the motions and just revelled in the feeling of the muscles in his back flexing accordingly. As moments passed, he could feel all the familiar sensations of his wings meeting his expectations. Everything felt perfect. Unable to stop himself, he brought his wings up and gave a good, solid, flap, generating not only a gust of wind to the floor but a slight lift. He felt his feet leave the ground for only a moment before he was standing on solid cement with his knees slightly bent.

"Odd." He said outloud. He didn't mean to fly at all. He was just testing but desire to fly took over and he flapped again and again and again. He was now hovering slightly. Only a few feet off the balcony. Chuckling softly to himself, he continued only to feel a terrible twinge in his back before his whole body tilted violently sideways.

Lucifer was never one for fear. Fear was for the weak. For the mortal. Not for the Devil. But when the world went lateral, he felt an all too familiar drop in his stomach as he began to fall. Lucifer panicked. His wings began to flail wildly as he tried to regain some semblance of balance. Before he knew it, he'd vanished his wings and found himself sprawled on the floor with a twinge of pain in his elbow from where he'd landed, connecting bone to the cement of the balcony.

"Bloody hell!" He hissed, rubbing his elbow irritatedly.

"Are you okay?"

Chloe's voice surprised him and he whipped his head around to see that she and little Beatrice were just stepping off the lift. No wonder his elbow hurt. Beatrice didn't wait for his answer and quickly barrelled her way through the flat to drop her bag next to Lucifer and kneel beside him.

"Did you hurt yourself?" She asked in the most innocent of tones, clearly worried for his wellbeing. Lucifer _did_ _not_ feel his chest warm slightly at the thought of her concern. Not at all.

"No, little spawn. I'm fine." Lucifer said as he slowly stood up and brushed off his trousers. He quickly shelved his feelings of disappointment and the tremors of panic he'd felt seconds before to smile brightly at Chloe. He took in her appearance and it suddenly struck him that she was also carrying a bag. That made his smile more genuine. "Detective! Have you come to have a sleepover?"

"Well, Maze is off chasing down our monks and Dan has a stake out tonight." Chloe said with a shrug before sighing and giving Lucifer a pleading look. "I didn't feel comfortable being alone with Trixie. Of course, if we're imposing..."

"Mommy said that some bad men are looking for her and I said that, since we were coming over for dinner anyway, we should stay here." Trixie smiled up at Lucifer before thumping into him and wrapping her arms around his waist, much to the Devil's surprise. "You'll keep us safe while Maze is out being a super-cool ninja."

Lucifer gave Beatrice a small pat on the head before shooting Chloe a pleading  _Help Me_ look. Chloe only laughed and shook her head. He was clearly on his own for now.

"Yes, little one. I can certainly look after the Decker women until the danger has passed." Lucifer said, trying his best to wriggle out of Trixie's hug. "Why don't you go bring you and your mother's things to the guest room? It's right down the hall there."

"Okay!" Trixie exclaimed excitedly before grabbing her bag and running to grab her mother's.

"Alright, monkey. Hold on." Chloe smiled as she kneeled down to catch her daughter and take hold of the little girl's shoulders so that she would focus on her mom. "Some ground rules while we stay here. One, you don't drink anything here unless I check it first. Lucifer has a lot of adult drinks here and I don't want you to mistakenly get one. Two, no swimming unless me or Lucifer are there to watch you. Three, there isn't a door to Lucifer's bedroom, so you ask permission before you go in, okay? Four, there are a lot of expensive, old things here. Don't touch anything unless Lucifer says it's okay. Finally, if Lucifer says you can do something and I say you can't, I win. I'm the mommy. I get final say, okay?"

"Okay, Mommy." Trixie nodded, her smile bright enough to rival the sun. "Can I go explore now?"

Chloe looked over Trixie's head to Lucifer who was just stepping back inside the flat. He waved his hand and grinned.

"Of course. Go on an adventure, little spawn." Lucifer chuckled and the moment Chloe released her, Trixie was off like a shot, grabbing the bags and going to find out where they'd be spending the night.

"She adores you, you know?" Chloe said with a small blush. "My daughter adores the Devil. There has  _got_ to be something wrong with that."

"So many things." Lucifer laughed, knowing that Chloe didn't mean any harm with her words. She was still adjusting. Lucifer was only glad that she  _knew_ and was even willing to ask for refuge in his home. That was tremendous. "But who better to protect you from evil than the devil himself?"

"Good point." Chloe grinned. "So, let's order some pizza and get my kid settled so that we can talk. I've still got _so_ many questions."

"I'm sure you do, but yes. Let's make sure the spawn is out of earshot before we start discussing celestial matters." Lucifer nodded, going to pour himself a drink. Chloe politely declined a drink of her own and instead accepted Lucifer's phone to call the pizza place he'd recommended.

"Mommy!" Trixie exclaimed as she dashed back into the main area of the flat. "Have you  _seen_ Lucifer's tv!? It's  _HUGE_!"

"Among other things." Lucifer smirked over his glass and Chloe let out a small groan.

"She's nine, Lucifer." Chloe hissed before turning to her daughter with a smile. "Well, monkey, we're ordering pizza so maybe you should see if there is a movie you want to watch, huh?"

"Awesome!" Trixie shouted before vanishing again down to the den where she'd originated from.

"I've got a whole wall of DVDs." Lucifer said before he tilted his head in thought. "Come to think of it, there's probably a section you would not be happy about your child rummaging through."

"A section... oh no." Chloe paled and turned to vault after her daughter before she discovered what was most likely an extensive pornography collection. Lucifer let out a soft chuckle before retrieving the phone Chloe had abandoned and ordering the pizza in her stead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NEW LUCIFER! I'M SO EXCITED! Yes, I stole a line from the new episode, but I couldn't help it. This is naturally AU, but I'm going to try my best to keep things as canon as possible so that there isn't too much confusion. <3
> 
> Thank you all so much for liking this fic so much! I can't believe I have so many followers! AHHHHH! Hope you all don't mind this filler chapter. There is going to be some action soon, I promise. :D


	10. Et Ostende Prandium

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinner and a show. Lucifer and Chloe talk more about the divine and Lucifer helps Dan with a crime scene. It seems like the Domini Canis have learned their lesson.

Lucifer was shocked.

It was really difficult to surprise the Devil, and yet the Decker women had managed it flawlessly.

One would think that an evening camped out on a sofa watching a Disney film while being frighteningly  _cuddled_ by a nine-year-old who was covered in pizza sauce would certainly not be very enjoyable for the former ruler of Hell, but Lucifer _had_ enjoyed it. Thoroughly.

And he was utterly shocked.

"I'm surprised you survived." Chloe said, as if reading Lucifer's mind. He was mid-pour of a glass of wine for the grinning detective, the woman now perched smugly on the Devil's piano bench, Trixie having been put to bed a little over a half hour before. "Two pizzas, _Wreck It Ralph_ , and a snuggly child, yet you haven't burst into flames. I'm really impressed."

"Oh hush, you." Lucifer grinned teasingly. He actually enjoyed the film. Another shocker. He'd thought he would have hated it, but little Beatrice had insisted. After the kerfuffle involving his film collection (and the narrow avoidance of uncomfortable questions coming from the child) the little human had insisted that they rent a movie On Demand. "I actually empathized greatly with the main character. Created to be the villain when he, in fact, is anything but. Rather on the nose, wouldn't you say?"

"Oh yeah. Definitely." Chloe nodded and smiled as Lucifer approached and handed her the glass of wine. "I thought you'd start tearing up within the first ten minutes."

"I do not  _tear up_ , thank you very much." Lucifer scoffed before taking a sip from his own glass of wine. "And as for tolerating your offspring, I think it's abundantly clear that, though children still make me immensely uncomfortable, young Beatrice is an exception."

"Why is that?" Chloe asked, raising a brow which caused Lucifer to tilt his head in a way that conveyed he needed her to clarify the question. "Why do you dislike children so much?"

"Other than the fact that they are loud and eternally  _sticky_?" Lucifer smirked before adding a shrug. "Limited exposure. There aren't that many children in Hell, as I'm sure you've safely assumed. And the one's that are there are... well... _unnerving_." 

"Kids can go to Hell?" Chloe asked. The surprise was obvious both in her tone and on her face. "Seriously?"

"As I believe I've stated," Lucifer sighed before joining her on the piano bench. "They are rare. Extremely so. The ones that do make their way downstairs are sociopaths. They feel nothing... their souls corrupted. _Demons_ won't even interact with them and demons don't have any souls at all."

"Yikes." Chloe said with shiver before taking a healthy gulp of wine. She clearly didn't like that thought one bit.

"Understatement." Lucifer said, shaking his head and sipping his wine.

They remained there for a long, quiet moment, just enjoying the wine and the silence before Chloe spoke again.

"Demons don't have souls?" She asked and Lucifer shook his head. He knew that the night would eventually turn to more questions and he was happy to answer anything the detective desired to know. "Does that mean that Maze–"

"Is a soulless creature from the underworld?" Lucifer answered with a smirk. "Does that honestly surprise you, detective?"

"Yeah, actually. A little." Chloe said with a nod. "I mean, Maze is... well,  _Maze_ , but she  _cares_ , ya know?"

"Yes. I suppose she does." Lucifer said, his eyes tracking upwards in thought. "I suppose our time here on Earth hasn't only affected me. Perhaps there is more to her than even I know."

"You never stop learning." Chloe said sagely. "Even if you're as old as time."

"Excuse me, but I'm not  _that_ old." Lucifer said, snorting softly and acting affronted. It made Chloe giggle and that made him smile in response.

"You're old enough." Chloe grinned before standing to make her way over to the sofa. She stopped mid-movement to go and retrieve the bottle of merlot that Lucifer had left open on the bar. He had to commend her forethought. It was probably going to be a long night of celestial discussion, so they might as well buckle in.

"So, aside from the horrendous exposure to the children of Hell and the fact that your flatmate doesn't have a soul, what else might you be curious about this evening, detective?" Lucifer asked in a playful tone as he joined Chloe on the sofa.

"Charlotte." Chloe said and Lucifer let out a long sigh.

"Yes, I should have expected that one." He said before chugging down the rest of his wine quickly and leaning forward to place the empty glass on the coffee table. "Charlotte Richards is... well, for lack of way to explain it gently... Charlotte isn't actually Charlotte anymore. Charlotte Richards died in that hotel room and my mother, the Goddess of Creation, escaped from Hell and took up residence in her body."

Chloe blinked at Lucifer, her mouth gaping slightly. She then closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and let out a long sigh before looking at Lucifer again.

"Um... okay?" Chloe said softly, obviously unable to wrap her head around what Lucifer had just said. "How about you try to explain that to me again, but this time slower and with a bit more detail?"

"Too blunt? Alright. Let me try again." Lucifer said before taking a deep breath and trying again. "My mother, the Goddess of Creation, because yes, it takes a God and Goddess to have a litter of angel children," Lucifer paused and held up his hand, "Yes, detective, it really is that simple. The Big Bang was aptly named." He smirked before continuing. "Mum and Dad had a big fight after I was tossed out a heaven and Dad cast my mum into Hell. She didn't try to help me, or at least I  _thought_ she didn't, so I didn't help her. During the whole Malcolm incident, Amenadiel was injured which left the gates of Hell unguarded. My mother used that opportunity to escape. She doesn't have a corporeal body like you or I do, so she needed to occupy one. She could only do that with a human who had recently died. According to her, she bounced around until she was able to land within one recently deceased Charlotte Richards."

"Jesus Christ." Chloe breathed out before wincing at her blaspheme. "Sorry."

"I almost said  _wrong_ _deity_ , but you know that already, don't you, you little minx?" Lucifer smirked. "I actually don't mind people calling out to my holier-than-thou half-brother. He's actually rather pleasant."

"Right." Chloe said, a smile ghosting her lips. "Okay, we'll get back to that, because I now want to know what Jesus was actually like, but first, let's just focus on Charlotte. So you're telling me that Charlotte is dead and your mom is using her body to what? _Not_ kill you like you originally thought, obviously."

"You are correct. I was wrong in my assumption of my mother's intentions. All she wants is to get back into Heaven." Lucifer said, leaning away to grab the bottle of wine to refill his glass and top off Chloe's.

"Oh, well that's not so bad, right?" Chloe asked, holding her glass out as Lucifer poured in more wine.

"Not so bad? Detective, it's a terrible idea." Lucifer said, looking at Chloe with disbelief. "My parents  _loathe_ each other. Her going back would mean war. A celestial war. Which would most likely spell the end of the existence you humans fondly enjoy."

"Holy crap." Chloe whispered as Lucifer's words hit her.

"Exactly." Lucifer sighed and shook his head. "And now that I have my wings back, Mum won't shut up about going back to the Silver City. Both her and Amenadiel are  _insisting_ that I take them back and we all storm the gates together... as if I'd ever want to do that..."

"She wants to attack Heaven?" Chloe said with disbelief. "Attack _God_?"

"Yup." Lucifer said, popping the 'p.' "And I am completely disinterested. Contrary to popular belief, I never wanted the throne. My being cast out was, for everyone who was _not_ me, a rather simple affair. A fight with dad, an order to my brother, and out the door I went. There was no great war or me leading a rebellion of angels... which is  _exactly_ what Mum wants to do. Not my bag."

"That..." Chloe paused, looking at her glass for a moment before turning her eyes back to Lucifer and smiling. "That is actually really comforting."

"Comforting?" Lucifer asked, his brow furrowing softly.

"That you want to prevent the destruction of humanity." Chloe clarified, reaching out and patting Lucifer's knee. "Not exactly what's expected of the Devil, huh?"

That made Lucifer chuckle and he shook his head.

"I think I've more than proven that I am nothing like what holy scripture claims me to be." Lucifer smirked, clinking his glass off Chloe's and taking a long swig.

"You're damn right." Chloe giggled and Lucifer couldn't help but beam a brilliant smile at her.

* * *

 

The rest of the evening was filled with more questions.

Questions about Jesus: "A bit of a hippy, but an all-around nice chap. We got so stoned it took us both over a month to find our way back to civilisation."

Questions about the bible: "Oh, all that horrific nonsense wasn't any of us. The plagues, the floods... from what I was told, it was Mum throwing a tantrum. Pretty sure that's what landed her in Hell in the end."

Questions about Amenadiel: "Yes, detective, he  _was_ responsible for Malcolm and he's paying dearly for it. He's fallen, without wings and without power. Serves him right, the feathery prick."

"So, I get why those crazy zealots took you, your brother, and Charlotte." Chloe said as Lucifer returned from the bar with a second bottle of wine. "But why me? I'm not anything special."

" _That_ is actually something I've been pondering myself." Lucifer said as he refilled their glasses for the third time. He was feeling pleasantly buzzed which was rather novel after only a few glasses of wine. Usually it would take at  _least_ four bottles and him drinking them alone. He sat down and took up his own glass and turned towards Chloe to scrutinise her a bit more closely.

"You're definitely special somehow. I don't effect you like I do other humans." Lucifer stated. "You're immune to me and you make me mortal when you're near. So  _something_ is going on, I just have no idea what. Neither does Mum of Amenadiel. You've got us all rather stumped."

"Woah, what?" Chloe said, reaching out and stopping Lucifer from taking another pull from his glass. "I make you  _mortal_? What the hell do you mean by that?"

"Oh, right. You don't know that bit, do you?" Lucifer sighed before tilting his head fondly. "Remember when I was avoiding you? During the whole satanists case?" When he got a nod, he continued. "It was because I discovered, shortly after you'd shot me, thank you for that experience, that you make me literally vulnerable. That was what I meant that night. I wasn't avoiding you because of my feelings, though I'm sure Doctor Linda would probably tell me that it was  _part_ of the problem. I was avoiding you because suddenly I could be hurt. I thought you had it out for me, but I was clearly wrong. You had no idea you were affecting me so."

"Jesus, Lucifer, why didn't you tell me?" Chloe asked exasperatedly, but then she shook her head and looked away before immediately answering her own question. "Right, right. Because I probably wouldn't have believed you."

"It's fine, detective." Lucifer said, casting his arm over the back of the sofa and smiling brightly. "I've learned to work around it. It's also slightly beneficial." Lucifer waved his glass at her. "Three glasses of wine and I'm feeling exquisitely relaxed."

"Yeah, great. You can get drunk around me, but you can also _die_." Chloe said before her eyes widened and she turned away again to run her free hand through her hair. " _Have_ died. That's why Malcolm was able to kill you that day... Holy crap..."

"Chloe," Lucifer said softly, calling her by name. She turned back to see him looking at her with an uncharacteristic softness in his eyes. "It's fine. I'm fine. Death is a part of life, right? Everyone dies at some point and now I'm no exception, I suppose. I'd rather be susceptible to expiration with you around than leave you alone to fight without me."

"You really are immortal when you're not around me?" Chloe asked in a small voice.

"Yes. Completely invulnerable short of divine or infernal hands." Lucifer nodded. "As I've said before, angels can harm other angels and Maze can certainly give me a run for my money. Weapons forged in Heaven or Hell can also harm me. Maze's knives, for instance."

"And you're okay with all this, me making you weak?" Chloe said, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Who said anything about weak?" Lucifer chuckled. "I'm still an archangel."

"Yeah, an archangel who can be stabbed by a tweaked out drug dealer in an alley or something." Chloe scoffed softly and Lucifer frowned. He reached out and took Chloe's glass form her and gently set it down on the coffee table along with his own before turning back and reaching out to take the her hands. Chloe looked at their hands with confusion before her eyes landed on his face.

"Stop that nonsense right now." Lucifer said, tilting his head forward and moving a bit closer to her to give her a stern look. "You wouldn't be worried about Daniel or Miss Lopez. It's part of their job and, as a consulting Devil and your _partner_ , it's part of my job now, too. Plus, I have you to protect me, don't I?"

Chloe couldn't help but let out a small chuckle at that and she looked back down at their hands and nodded, giving his fingers a soft squeeze.

"Yeah." Chloe smiled before her expression turned serious again and she looked up at Lucifer with pleading eyes. "But you have to promise me that you won't go running head-first into the line of fire anymore. You have to be careful, just like the rest of us. I don't... I don't want to see you die again."

Lucifer's eyes softened and he released one of Chloe's hands to reach up and gently tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. She leaned forward slightly and blushed despite herself. 

"You have my word, detective." Lucifer said in a hushed voice, his breath ghosting over Chloe's cheeks. They were so close by the time he spoke that their noses nearly brushed.

It would only take millimetres from either one of them to close the gap and, just as Lucifer's eyes darted down to Chloe's lips, they were interrupted by the sound of Chloe's phone vibrating on the coffee table. The noise shattered the moment and they both jumped back as if someone had physically walked into the room. Chloe blushed deeply before standing and picking up the phone, answering it with a slight crack in her voice.

"Decker." She said and Lucifer immediately reached out to drink the rest of his almost full glass of wine in a few large gulps, his heart ready to burst out of his chest. He was so distracted that he didn't catch the beginning of what Chloe was saying to the person on the other line. It wasn't until he heard his name that he was able to refocus.

"No, I can't leave Trixie, but Lucifer can meet up with you." Chloe said as she ran her fingers through her hair. There was a pause as she turned to find Lucifer looking up at her questioningly. "He'll know what to look for, Dan. Like I said, we've been investigating this for a few days." Pause. "Yeah. I'll let him know." Pause. "Okay. Bye."

Chloe hung up the phone and frowned down at the device before taking a deep breath.

"What was that all about?" Lucifer asked. "Daniel too drunk to drive home?"

"What? No, Lucifer, it's only 9:30." Chloe said before shaking her head. "He's on the late shift and some unis found some symbols and animal parts that resembled the murders on Cimarron. It's in a warehouse on Crenshaw."

"Is it really that early?" Lucifer said in surprise, looking around for a clock before the rest of her words registered. "Wait, so the Dogs are at it again? Well, we should go take a look now, shouldn't we?"

"I can't leave Trixie." Chloe said, gesturing towards the room where her daughter was asleep. "I'd ask you to stay and watch Trix, but I'm... well I'm not drunk, but I'm certainly in no condition to be at a crime scene. You'll sober up before you get there, right? Supernatural metabolism and everything? And you'll be invulnerable if I don't tag along?"

"Well, yes, but–" Lucifer stood quickly and began to protest, but Chloe cut him off quickly.

"If these guys are still using magic, you're the best equipped to handle it." Chloe explained. "I'd rather have you there with Dan instead of me. Magic and humans don't go well together."

"As much as I loath to admit it, you may have a point." Lucifer sighed, already reaching for his suit jacket and pulling it over his shoulders. "And you're sure you'll be fine here by yourself?"

"I'm still a cop, you know." Chloe said flatly and Lucifer chuckled.

"Right you are. Alright then." Lucifer nodded as he made his way to the lift. "Don't wait up for me, detective, unless, of course, you want to."

He gave Chloe a lecherous grin and waggled his eyebrows at her and she stepped forward to give him a playful shove.

"In your dreams, Morningstar. Now go." Chloe smiled. "Go put a leash on the dogs."

"Couldn't have said it better myself." Lucifer smiled before stepping onto the elevator to begin his hunt.

* * *

Lucifer's mind was distracted the entire ride to the warehouse on Crenshaw. Sure, he knew he had a job to do and he certainly wanted to make sure these infuriating zealots were brought to justice, but he couldn't stop his mind from wandering back to what had happened just before he and Chloe were rudely interrupted by Daniel's phone call.

They had almost kissed. Lucifer was sure of it. He hadn't imagined that moment. He had almost kissed Chloe and then these ridiculous fools who called themselves priests had to go off and ruin it.

"Pricks." Lucifer growled to himself as he turned of the Santa Monica freeway. When he pulled up to the warehouse, Daniel was waiting outside leaning against his car. Lucifer jumped out of his corvette and sauntered up to the detective with a smile.

"So, I heard that our weirdo cult has made yet another messy appearance?" Lucifer asked jovially and Dan rolled his eyes. "Shouldn't we have, what do you call it? Backup or something?"

"You calling a cult weird is a bit like the pot calling the kettle black, man." Dan smirked before turning to start walking towards the warehouse. "The scene has already been processed. I only heard about is because a couple of guys were talking about it by the coffee maker. Lieutenant Monroe thinks it's unrelated because there wasn't a body."

"Well, I suppose I will be the judge of that." Lucifer said, adjusting his cufflinks as Dan led the way inside.

Both men were instantly assaulted by the smell of the place the moment they entered.

"Smells like rotten eggs." Dan said, scrunching his nose in disgust.

"Not eggs, Daniel. Sulfur." Lucifer frowned. That cinched it. This was definitely related to the Domini Canis. "Same smell at the other crime scene."

"Just because both scenes smell like crap doesn't mean their related." Dan said and Lucifer only frowned at him as they made their way deeper into the warehouse. It wasn't long before they came up to the scene.

"No, but the nearly identical summoning circle and animal sacrifice does." Lucifer said, pointing to the bowl with the dead chicken in it. "This is almost exactly like the other mess our _un_ pious friends left behind."

"Almost?" Dan asked as he watched Lucifer approach the script on the floor to examine it more closely.

"Almost. The wording here is different." Lucifer said, pointing to the circle.

"Looks like gibberish to me." Dan said, looking around to see if he could find anything else that might help.

"It's not. It seems that our little cult has learned from their previous mistakes." Lucifer grinned, his eyes tracing the lines of infernal writing on the floor.

"What are you talking about, man? What mistake?" Dan asked, but before Lucifer could answer, there was a clatter of metal hitting the cement floor in the distance. Dan immediately took out his firearm and pointed it towards the sound. "Someone is here." His voice turning to a harsh whisper.

Lucifer only gave the noise a moment of his focus before returning to read the words on the floor.

"This is Dimoori Sheol, just like the last one, except the commands are more precise. Well done, actually." Lucifer said, his voice remaining at it's normal volume earning him a hissing noise from Detective Espinoza.

"Dude, keep your voice down. There's someone out there." Dan whispered as he stepped away to see if he could find the source of the noise. Lucifer only ignored him and kept examining the floor.

Slowly, Dan crept around a shipping container, gun at the ready. He knew he shouldn't have left Lucifer alone, but honestly, it was probably just a stray cat that got trapped inside the warehouse while it was being processed. There was another scraping noise and Dan turned around to peer into the darkness. He pulled out his flashlight and held it up to catch a glimpse of a shadow moving out of sight.

Back at the scene, Lucifer felt his stomach drop as he finally understood what he was reading.

"Daniel?" Lucifer hissed softly, standing to look around only to realise that Dan was gone. He paced off, in search of the detective before hearing a shout of "LAPD! Freeze!" and the loud bang of gunfire. "Bloody hell..."

Turning the corner around another container, Lucifer ran headlong into a pale, breathless Daniel Espinoza.

"There you are. There was someone... He looked... he looked messed up, man." Dan said as both men caught the sound of more scratching. "We need to call for back-up. He could be dangerous."

"No, Daniel. Not he...  _It_." Lucifer said quickly before taking Dan's arm and pulling him back towards the crime scene and hopefully to the entrance.

"What? What are you talking about?" Dan said, trying to break free of Lucifer's confusingly strong grip. "He's probably our suspect. He might know who mutilated those people on Cimarron. Or he could have done it himself."

"No. We have to go." Lucifer insisted, uncharacteristic panic in his eyes. " _Now_."

"Dude, what is _wrong_ with you?" Dan asked, somehow wrenching his arm free and shaking his head. "He might be getting away."

"Daniel, I don't think you understand. It isn't a  _human_. It's a _demon_. That circle summoned a _nihasa_. Certainly not an archdemon like the last one, but still a rather nasty little monster." Lucifer said, his words coming quick as he tried to get Dan to follow him. "And definitely not something to be trifled with. I've got to get you out of here before it catches your delectable human scent."

"You're insane." Dan chuckled, shaking his head. "A demon? Are you high?"

"If only." Lucifer growled before trying to reach out for Daniel again. This time, before he could catch the man's wrist, the detective raised his weapon and pointed it at Lucifer. "Daniel... what are you doing?"

"L-Lucifer..." Dan breathed out a whisper and that was when Lucifer realised that Daniel's gun and his eyes weren't focussed on the him, but something  _behind_ him.

It all happened in a matter of seconds.

Lucifer whipped his head around just in time to see the nihasa emerge from the shadows and leap into the air, demonic blades flashing. The demon's eyes were bright red, not that dissimilar to Lucifer's own Devil eyes. It's face was... well, it didn't really have a face. Sure, it had a head and a mouth and eyes, but everything that should have been it's face was rotted away like a corpse left floating in a bog for far too long. It's inhuman screech echoed throughout the large warehouse followed by the sound of Dan discharging his weapon. He hit the creature but the monster didn't even flinch as it descended towards the two men.

Lucifer didn't have time to think about the repercussions of his actions. He acted solely on instinct. His wings flared out from his back, the primary feathers flexing and going stiff, turning themselves into deadly weapons before lashing out to catch the demon, mid air. The bladed wings stabbed into the nihasa's stomach and Lucifer rolled his shoulders and turned his body to toss the demon over him and towards the floor. Just as the creature passed over his head, Lucifer's hands shot up and ripped the demon blades from the monster's grip.

There was a loud clap as the demon's body smashed into the floor and slid violently towards Dan who danced back in terror. Lucifer didn't stop to assess anything, his mind blank as he flicked the blades with efficiency in his hand and, flapping his wings hard, thrust himself into the air in a high arch to catch the demon just as it tried to scramble to it's feet to reach Daniel.

Crossing his arms, Lucifer's Louboutin's caught the demon in the back, crushing it back to the floor before Lucifer crouched and viciously sliced the blades in front of him, effectively severing the monster's head from it's shoulders. When it was over, Lucifer was left bent over the demon's lifeless body, panting heavily, the blades in his hands and the tips of his right wing dripping with blood.

A small, wheezing whimper caught his attention and he looked up to see Daniel, chalk white and shaking in terror. Slowly, Lucifer stood up, his wings spreading slightly and drawing Dan's attention. Something snapped in the other man and the gun was raised again, this time  _definitely_ pointed at Lucifer.

"What the hell are you?" Dan breathed, his eyes wide and his hands trembling.

"Daniel, why don't you take a deep breath?" Lucifer said, carefully dropping the demon blades and rolling his shoulders to quickly hide his wings. Dan whimpered again and Lucifer raised his hands with his palms forward in what he hoped was a submissive gesture. "Come on, Daniel. Breathe. No need to overreact."

"What. The hell. Are you!?" Dan asked again, his eyes wild as he shook his gun at Lucifer.

"I think you already know the answer to that question." Lucifer said simply. He wasn't afraid of being shot. The gun wouldn't hurt him with Chloe back at Lux, but guns and scared humans never ended well for anyone.

"You... you're..." Dan stuttered, shaking his head.

"Go on. Say it." Lucifer said softly, remaining still.

"Eres el Diablo..." Dan whispered, his voice nearly nonexistent.

"Sí, Detective Espinoza, yo soy el Diablo." Lucifer replied, easily switching languages. It seemed that Daniel's brain had gone into definitive fight or flight mode, unable to process properly.

"Mierda." Dan said before the gun fell from his grip and Lucifer was only just quick enough to catch the shorter man before his head cracked into the floor.

"Bloody hell..." Lucifer hissed as he gently laid the unconscious detective on the floor and wondering how his life had become so complicated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOO! This chapter is immensely long in comparison to the others, but after a month of not updating, I figured that you folks wouldn't mind at all. I know I certainly love it when my fav authors post long chapters. That being said, poor Daniel. I like how his character has developed and I think it would be really awesome in the show for either him or Ella to find out about Lucifer before Chloe does. What do you guys think? 
> 
> As always, your comments and criticism give me life! <3


	11. Cognita Douche

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Learning Douche. It's time to see what happens now that Dan knows who Lucifer is.

"Do you think his brain is fried?" Mazikeen asked as she and Lucifer peered down at the unconscious form of one Detective Daniel Espinoza. Lucifer had called her in a fit, unsure of what to do in this situation. He had a dead demon and passed-out, former-douche on the floor. It was all a bit cumbersome.

"The detective will kill me if it is." Lucifer huffed, shaking his head.

What had he been thinking? Well, he  _hadn't_  been thinking and that was the problem. He just pulled out his wings willy-nilly and went full archangel on the nihasa right in full view of poor Daniel. A part of him was mildly embarrassed that the soldier in him responded so quickly. He had thought he'd left that part of himself behind when he'd left Hell. Clearly he hadn't.

"This won't do at all." Lucifer said, shaking his head. "Maze, do you think you could be a love and take care of our dead hellion while I figure out what I'm going to do with dear Daniel?"

"You want me on clean-up duty? Seriously? After I've been tracking these idiots all over LA, you call me to clean up  _your_  mess?" Maze asked, her hands on her hips and her chin jabbed outward in defiance. "Why don't I take Dan home and  _you_  clean up the body?"

"Because Daniel isn't going home. He's going to my flat." Lucifer said, deciding in that moment that leaving Daniel to his own thoughts right now would probably cause even more trouble. Chloe was back at the penthouse. She could help explain. "The detective and the spawn are there. It'll be better."

"If you say so." Maze sighed haughtily before turning to the nihasa body on the floor. She picked up the demon blades next to the body and tucked them away in her bustier before heaving the body onto her shoulder and picking the head up by what little hair it had. "I'll just go bury this somewhere remote then, shall I?"

"Yes. I believe that would be best." Lucifer nodded, his eyes still on Dan. "Thank you, Mazikeen. Your loyalty, though now not required, is still very much appreciated."

"Whatever." Maze scoffed, rolling her eyes and heading towards the exit of the building.

Now alone with Dan, Lucifer hiked up his trousers and and crouched beside the other man.

"You are going to be so disappointed in yourself when all of this is over." He said to the unconscious man before reaching down and thrusting an arm beneath the man's knees and the other beneath his armpits. It was a simple affair to lift Daniel up bridal-style. Easy for someone with supernatural strength.

It was another task entirely to get Dan into Lucifer's corvette.

"Come on, Daniel. Cooperate a  _little_." Lucifer grumbled as he finally managed to get the detective into the passenger seat and buckled in. Maze had just finished stuffing the body of the nihasa in her trunk, giggling to herself as Lucifer struggled with the unconscious Dan. She may or may not have taken pictures on her phone.

"Maze, meet us back at the penthouse when you're finished. I think it might be time to bring the fight to the Dogs." Lucifer said, a small scowl tarnishing his handsome face. "They are summoning demons and setting them free on earth. This is more than just my problem now."

With a nod, Maze was in her truck and peeling out of the parking lot. She'd come back to clean up the blood evidence once she'd dealt with the body.

Sighing, Lucifer got into his car, lit a cigarette and, with one more glance at the still passed-out man in his passenger seat, turned the ignition key and took off.

* * *

 

Chloe was slowly sipping a glass of water, wanting to sober up a bit for Lucifer's return. She was sure that there would be plenty to talk about when he got back from the crime scene. The last thing she'd been expecting to see, only two hours after Lucifer had left, was the devil himself returning with her ex-husband in his arms.

"Jesus! What the hell happened?" Chloe hissed out in a stage whisper, not wanting to wake Trixie, as she scrambled off the sofa to make room. "Is he alright?"

"Depends on your definition, really." Lucifer quipped, letting the mention of his half-brother slide as he brought Dan to the sofa and gently laid him down. "Physically, he is perfectly fine. Mentally, I'm not so sure. We had a bit of a run-in with a demon at the warehouse."

"You what?" Chloe asked, eyes going wide.

"Yes. A demon. A real one. And not the pretty kind like our Maze. A particularly nasty one." Lucifer said before holding up his hands to try and calm the detective. "I despatched it quickly, but..." He paused and looked at Dan. "Daniel may have got a celestial eyefull in the process."

"He saw your wings." Chloe said, the sentence a statement and not a question. With Lucifer's affirming nod, she sighed and ran her hands through her hair. "Crap. Well, I suppose he had to find out sometime, right? I didn't expect now, but it's too late to complain, I suppose. How did he react?"

"He swore in Spanish." Lucifer provided as he made his way to the bar to get himself a nice finger of scotch. He had earned it, after all.

"That's not good. Dan rarely swears." Chloe sighed, moving to sit on the coffee table and observe her ex. "And he speaks Spanish even less unless he  _has_ to."

"He almost shot me too, which wouldn't have done any good, but he was clearly afraid." Chloe's look of horror only intensified and Lucifer shrugged. "Not an uncommon reaction, detective. You've seen what I can do to people just by showing them who I really am. You are an outlier in so many ways."

Images of terrified suspects and, specifically, Jimmie Barnes smashing his head against the glass of his cell flashed quickly to the front of Chloe's mind. Yes. She had certainly seen what Lucifer could do to a person when he wanted. But this wasn't on purpose. Was it?

"You didn't mean to scare him, though, right?" She asked tentatively, feeling a little sheepish for even asking in the first place. Lucifer's offended look only made her feel worse.

"Of  _course_  I didn't. I had no intention of frightening the poor douche into Español, but I wasn't really thinking about consequences at the time." Lucifer downed his drink in two gulps before refilling the glass. "The nihasa jumped out of the shadows prepared to kill us both and I reacted accordingly."

Lucifer rolled his shoulder once and frowned.

"Which brings to my attention the state of one of my wings." He sighed and gulped down his second scotch. "I'm going to go take a quick, cramped shower and try to get as much demon viscera out as I can. Maybe my not being here at the start will be best for Daniel when he wakes?"

"That might be best for now." Chloe nodded, turning her attention back to Dan. "Grab me a tumbler and a bottle of anything before you go. He's going to need it."

"Spoken from experience." Lucifer smirked as he approached with a clean glass and bottle of whiskey. He handed the items to her and gave her a soft smile. "Just... make sure he's not too terrified. I really didn't mean to frighten him."

Something pulled at Chloe's heart when she looked up at her partner. There was guilt in Lucifer's expression. He was genuinely sorry for scaring Dan. Dan, though he may have been a idiot in the past, wasn't a  _bad_  person.

_I'm not evil. I punish evil._

Lucifer's words rang true. He really only did bring Hell to those who deserved it.

"I'll try my best to calm him down before you get out of the shower." Chloe said, giving Lucifer a bright, warm smile in hopes that it would sooth the devil's regrets. "And maybe I can help clean your wing properly later?"

"I... I would very much like that, detective." Lucifer smiled, his expression going soft before nodding and heading off to his bathroom to attempt as best he could to get nihasa guts out from his feathers.

* * *

 

"Wha–" Came Dan's soft voice before he coughed softly. Chloe scrambled over to him from where she was pacing to grab her glass of water and gently hold it up to his lips.

"Hey. Welcome back." She said and her ex smiled gratefully at her as he shifted to sit up and take the glass from her. Chloe knew better and didn't release it just yet. She knew. She knew it was coming.

"What the hell happened?" Dan asked before going slightly pale. He released the glass, which Chloe was expecting so she was able to keep it from falling. Dan quickly took in his surroundings, realising where he was, before whispering "Hell..."

"It's okay, Dan. I promise." Chloe said softly, putting the glass of water down next to her on the coffee table before reaching for the prepared glass of whiskey. "Here. Take a few sips of this. It'll help you feel better."

Dan turned wide, wild eyes on Chloe before turning his frantic gaze to the glass in her hand. He practically snatched it from her grasp and downed the entire thing in one gulp.

"Yeah. I agree. You want another?" Chloe said with an understanding, warm smile. It was only a few days ago that her own mind was in the same turmoil. It was actually shocking to think that she had come to terms with her world being turned upside down in such a short time. Lucifer did say she was special, though.

Chloe didn't wait for Dan to answer her as she poured him another glass of Lucifer's top-shelf whiskey.

"It's okay. I know it's a lot to take in and it's really scary, but it's really going to be okay." Chloe said, handing Dan more booze which he gratefully took. She remained silent as her ex drank this glass a bit slower. He sat up properly and turned to look around the penthouse, clearly in search of Lucifer.

"He's in the shower. Trying to wash out his wing. I guess it got messed up at the warehouse?" Chloe asked, which made her think back to how Linda treated her after she'd first seen Lucifer's wings. She would try her best to emulate that. "What happened? Lucifer didn't really tell me much. He was more concerned for you. He mentioned a demon?"

Dan stared at Chloe for a long moment and it was obvious that he was still processing, but Chloe made sure to keep her features as neutral and calm as possible.

"A d-demon. That's what he said it was." Dan croaked, finishing his second glass of whiskey and handing it back to Chloe. "It all happened so fast..."

"Well, start at the beginning." Chloe said, placing the glass down on the coffee table and leaning forward to put her elbows on her knees.

"He's the Devil, Chlo... like... for  _real_. Lucifer is  _the_  Lucifer." Dan said and his breath hitched and started to quicken.

"Hey, hey. Okay. It's okay. I know." Chloe soothed as she reached out and gently put her hands on Dan's forearms. "I know. And I know you're scared and you don't know what to do, but I will promise you this; he will  _never_ do anything to intentionally hurt us. He's not evil, Dan. He punishes evil. His words, not mine, but that's the truth."

"¿Como puede El Diablo ser real?" Dan muttered, shaking his head and beginning to ramble. "No es real. Es todo un cuento de hadas. Él es solo una historia que les dice a sus hijos que se comporten y crezcan y se conviertan en buenas personas."

"Dan,  _Dan._ Come on. You know I can follow when you speak that fast." Chloe said, catching only snippets of what Dan was muttering about. The biggest points being  _not real_ and  _fairytale_. "I know it's hard to believe, but you saw the truth tonight at the warehouse."

"Lo vi matar a un hombre. Él tiene alas y eran enormes y aterradoras pero hermosas y él simplemente le cortó la cabeza al tipo como si no fuera nada." Dan said frantically, "Juro que voló, Chloe. ¡El voló!"

"I didn't fly." Lucifer said softly, bringing both Chloe and Dan's attention to him as he stood in the entryway to his bedroom. Chloe had to blink a few times to register what she was seeing.

This wasn't the usual Lucifer either of them were familiar with. He was wearing a plain, black t-shirt... a  _freaking_  t-shirt!... and a pair of soft, heather-grey sweatpants. His hair was mussed, still slightly damp, and wildly curly while his feet remained bare against the Italian, marble steps.

"Yo no vuelo." Lucifer said again, his voice still soft, but sounding different as he switched to Spanish. "Y lamento mucho haberte asustado, Daniel."

Chloe shook her head quickly and tried to refocus on what was happening. Hearing Lucifer's smooth voice speak another language, not to mention his rather dressed down appearance, was slightly distracting. She did understand him better than Dan, though.

"Wait, you flew?" She asked, raising a brow and Lucifer rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"No. I used my wings to move with a bit more force. It wasn't actually  _flying_." Lucifer said, remaining in his spot at the top of the stairs. It was clear that he had no intentions of scaring Dan further by encroaching on the other man's space.

"That must have been kind of cool-looking." Chloe thought out loud before Dan's voice broke through.

"It kind of was." He said softly and everyone's eyes were back on him. " _Terrifying_ , but cool."

"Well, I appreciate the compliment, Daniel." Lucifer said with a small, genuine smile.

"This is all real, huh?" Dan asked, looking pleadingly at Chloe. She felt bad for him. She knew how devastating this was.

"Yeah, Dan. It's real." She nodded and Dan wilted a bit before falling back onto the sofa with a loud sigh.

"I don't think my brain is going to explode anymore." Dan commented as he covered his eyes with one arm. "Good whiskey."

"Only the best." Lucifer smirked and Chloe rolled her eyes at him. Lucifer shrugged and mouthed  _what?_  back, but she ignored him.

"Trixie is here." She said to Dan in a soft whisper. "You want to go lay down with her for a bit?"

Dan moved his arm and perked up slightly at that. After a bad case, Dan always asked if he could take Trixie. Their little girl comforted him in ways that Chloe couldn't. She knew what it was. She was still so innocent and hopeful. It was hard to let the darkness take you when you had such a shining ray of light to keep you centered.

Unfortunately, Dan's joy was short-lived as he sat up and looked at Chloe with horror.

"You brought our  _daughter_  to the  _Devil's_  house?" Dan asked, his voice bordering on accusing.

"Now see here a moment." Lucifer interrupted before Chloe even had a chance to respond. He stepped down the stairs with an offended glare. "Just what are you suggesting, Daniel?"

Dan turned to look at Lucifer and then suddenly thought better of responding. He had gone pale again.

"No, no, no... no. I'm sorry." Lucifer said, his demeanour shifting back to something less threatening as he held out his hands, palms up, in a submissive gesture. "Don't do that. Don't panic again. It's fine. I'm not going to hurt you. Or your spawn. You don't need to be so afraid."

"You're the  _Devil_ , man." Dan hissed, finally finding his feet to stand and turn towards Lucifer properly. "What am I supposed to think?"

"You  _know_  him, Dan." Chloe said, putting her hand on Daniel's shoulder. "Stop replacing what you know and just add to what you do. Lucifer is the same weirdo we've known for almost two years now. He's not evil incarnate. He steals your puddings, for heaven's sake."

"Which you almost wiped me off the face of the universe for once." Lucifer said with a hopeful smirk, taking a tentative step forward. "And you proved to me how strong-willed and  _good_  you were that day. I'll tell you all about it sometime, because I'm sure you don't remember, but how about you show me some of that strength now? You can handle this. Doctor Linda knows. Chloe knows. Now, so do you. Which, in the frame of things, is beneficial for everyone. No more making excuses when things go supernaturally sideways."

There was a long bout of silence where Chloe and Lucifer watched as Dan processed. It felt like  _hours_  but when Dan finally spoke, he sounded much calmer.

"I'm not okay with this." Dan said slowly, turning to look at Chloe for a moment before focussing back on Lucifer. "You scare me, man. Seriously. You're an angel of God. The literal, freakin' Devil and that is  _insane_."

Lucifer looked like he wanted to say something, but he clearly thought better of it and simply nodded. Dan didn't seem like he was finished.

"But I think, with time, I can adjust." Dan continued, taking in a deep breath and nodding. "But right now, I just want to get the hell away from you. I believe you when you say you won't hurt Trix or me or Chloe, but I'm barely keeping it together right now."

"That... is actually _exactly_ how I felt." Chloe said, tilting her head and nodding. "And you explained it way better than I did."

"It's going to take some serious time." Dan said, focussing fully on Chloe and reaching out to take her hands in his. "Promise me it's safe. Please."

"I promise you, Dan. You know I would never do anything to put Trixie in danger." Chloe said, giving Dan's hands a squeeze. "I promise."

"I believe you." Dan said before letting go of his ex-wife and whirling on Lucifer to point accusingly at him. "You. You stay the hell away from me. For a while. I'll... I come to you... if I can..."

"That is an agreeable arrangement." Lucifer said with solemn nod. "I do hope you come 'round sooner rather than later. It'll be good to have you on the team, as it were."

Dan gave Lucifer a nod in return before turning back to Chloe.

"Text me Linda Martin's number. Something tells me I'll need it." He said, before heading to the elevator on slightly wobbly legs. The doors opened before he got to them revealing Mazikeen. Dan, connecting the dots quickly, jumped back in slight fear at the appearance of the demon.

"Hey, Espinoza! You're up. I take it you're brain isn't mashed potatoes?" Maze asked brightly, sauntering boldly towards him only to have the man jump back further. She froze in place and a small, sad frown flitted over her face before she schooled her features. "Right. I'm a demon. Scary. Here."

With a flick of her wrist, Maze tossed Dan his keys.

"You're car is parked in the underground lot by Chloe's." She said before moving past Dan to head to the bar. "Figured you'd need it at some point."

"Th-thanks." Dan croaked, hugging the keys to his chest before looking back at everyone, giving them a firm nod, and skittering into the elevator with a bit less grace than he probably would have liked.

After a long pause, with the only sounds being Maze pouring herself a drink, Lucifer clapped his hands together softly and smiled at Chloe.

"Well, that could have gone much worse." He smiled, pride shining through as he basked in the glory of having not lost yet another friend. Not entirely, anyway.

"Yeah. He actually took that really well." Chloe nodded. "He'll need some time, but Linda will help. I  _still_  text her with daily questions."

"Poor woman. I'm rather sure she didn't sign up to be therapist to the supernatural." Lucifer said, shaking his head but still smiling brightly. "Even though she really  _did._ "

"Why are you dressed like frat boy?" Maze asked bluntly and gesturing to Lucifer's attire with her drink as she leaned casually over the bar. Chloe couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Excuse you, I was trying to come off non threatening." Lucifer protested, glaring at Maze.

"You're coming off as  _something_  alright. A dork, maybe." Maze jested and Chloe just couldn't contain her fits of giggles anymore. Maze joined her and Lucifer let out a huff of air before heading to the sofa to pout.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know! This took forever, but it's a long one, so YAY! I wanted to get this in before the years end and I came up by the seat of my trousers! Sorry for being absent, but I had a tonsillectomy and that was (and still is) hell. I'm still filling in the chapters here, but not that we've got Dan on board, it's time to get back to the case!
> 
> As always, you comments and kudos keep me going! Happy New Year, everyone!


	12. Canes Diabolus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Dogs are at it again. After helping Dan begin to adjust, Chloe comes home to find her apartment broken into, only not everything is as bad as she expects.

It had been one week. One week since Daniel Espinoza left Lucifer Morningstar's apartment and one week since the Devil had decided that he'd had enough of the Dogs of God nipping at his heels. Once Dan was gone, Chloe, Maze, and Lucifer sat and discussed strategy. Maze had been entirely unhelpful since her idea of strategy was hunting down each zealot and giving them what she joyfully called a "dirt nap." Lucifer, though thoroughly annoyed by these idiots, didn't see death as a viable option just yet, which earned him praise from Chloe. No. They would arrest them. And possibly scare the hell  _into_ them, as it were.

That was decided one week ago.

One week ago and  _nothing_ had turned up.

Maze had lost their trail which put the demon in a mood that left Chloe avoiding her almost entirely. Any signs of satanic rituals had fizzled out since the scene where Lucifer and Daniel had met the nihasa. Even Amenadiel and Charlotte, who had honestly be up to their own plans, had kept an eye out and seen nothing.

It seemed that the Dogs had gone to ground.

"This is utterly  _useless_." Lucifer groaned as he perused yet another file from the massive stack on Chloe's desk. They had been sitting there for hours going through cases that possessed some oddity that could be linked to humans trying to use magic. "Seriously, a coven of goths who think they can commune with Mother Nature setting fire to national reserve via overuse of candles. Honestly? That is  _not_ how you get Gaia's attention. She's a bit of bitch, that one."

"Lucifer, focus." Chloe said with a sigh. "I know a lot of this is nonsense to you, but there could be something viable here that will help us with our case."

"But this isn't how you perform magic." Lucifer muttered, tossing the file in his hands into the  _junk pile_ , as he called it. "You can sense when magic has happened. Even muggles, like yourself, can. It's a change in the air."

"Did you just reference Harry Potter?" Chloe asked with a raised brow.

"I don't believe it's the first time I've done so, nor will it be the last, and that series is a masterpiece..." Lucifer said shortly before continuing. "That aside, I'm surprised we don't have half of the magical community sniffing around with all the dark magic these fools have been using. It's like a beacon. It's like..."

Lucifer paused mid-sentence and his eyes glazed over for a moment.

"Lucifer?" Chloe prompted and Lucifer blinked a few times before looking at the detective and giving her a smile so wicked that it made her nervous.

"I've just thought of something." Lucifer said, grinning from ear-to-ear.

"Well, please. Let your curious and incredibly bored partner know." Chloe said, adjusting herself in her chair before adding sharply. "Unless it involves sex. If it does, keep it to yourself."

"No. No sex, sadly, but I may have a resource I can tap, as it were." Lucifer said, wiggling his eyebrows at the innuendo. That only deepened Chloe's frown. "There's a guy I know of. He's a bit of a  _weirdness magnet_ and he may be able to help. Though I doubt he'll want anything to do with me, it's worth a shot. You keep looking through these files and I'll go see if I can make contact."

"Wait, Lucifer! How am I supposed to know what's–" Chloe began to protest, but the Devil was already out of his chair, phone in hand, and gone. "Damnit."

Groaning to herself, Chloe dove back into files, hoping that spending the last week and a half in touch with the supernatural would give her some sort of an edge in figuring out the difference between rebellious teens and actual magical threats.

An hour went by with no sign of her partner and Chloe was on the last of her files when a soft voice startled her out of her reading.

"Chloe?" Dan said and Chloe's head darted up to look at her slightly nervous-looking ex-husband.

"Hey, Dan." Chloe said, slowly closing the file and resting it on her desk. "What's up?"

Her and Dan had only exchanged cursory conversation in the past week. Almost all of that conversation was Trixie-related. Dan had been avoiding her and, most importantly, Lucifer. She honestly couldn't blame him and she would give him all the time he needed. At least he wasn't in a mental hospital and that was a win in her books.

"Uh... well...  _He's_ not here and I've got some time..." Dan said, his eyes now finding the pencil-holder on Chloe's desk really interesting.

"It's okay, Dan." Chloe said, reaching over her desk and gently brushing Dan's arm with the very tips of her fingers. "You don't have to talk about it if you're not ready."

"No..." Dan shook his head and took a deep breath before meeting Chloe's eyes. "No. I  _need_ to talk about it. I sat with Linda. It was... weird. Do you think, do you think maybe we can... I don't know, go grab lunch or something? Coffee? Anything? I just... I need to talk about this."

"Yeah, Dan. Yeah. Sure." Chloe nodded and stood. She wasn't making any headway here anyway and Lucifer hadn't returned. She grabbed her phone and sent a quick text letting the Devil know that she was grabbing lunch with Dan and to not disturb them. Hopefully Lucifer would understand how important this was. "Let's go grab a bite. I can't stare at these files anymore anyway."

* * *

 

Lunch had actually gone very,  _very_ well as far as Chloe was concerned. Dan was shy at first, but once he started asking questions Chloe couldn't answer, things got easier because they both found common ground. It was all so  _big_ to the both of them and it seemed like Dan found comfort in that. He claimed he wasn't ready to be around Lucifer just yet, but he was certainly closer. Maybe another week. That made Chloe incredibly happy.

She left lunch and headed back to work with a smile on her face and a bit of relief in her shoulders. She honestly had no idea that Dan's existential crisis had caused her so much stress, but after thinking more about it, of  _course_ it did. With God actually being real, their lives were suddenly so... small. Anything could snuff out the fragile ecosystem they had built with the supernatural around them. Granted, it wasn't like they hadn't been living it every day. The only difference was that now they could  _see_ it.

When Chloe got back to her desk, there was still no Lucifer. He hadn't texted her back either, but she guessed that was because he was still chasing down whatever that lead he'd mentioned was. So, she carried on with her day without worry. With Trixie slated to be at Dan's for the evening, Chloe stayed a little late to pick up so overtime to make up for the days she'd missed having her own mental breakdown.

It was well after dark by the time she made it home. She was tired and hungry and all she wanted was to find that bottle of Merlot Lucifer had left with her and order Chinese. Instead, what she found was glass on her doormat and her front door slightly ajar. 

Unholstering her service weapon, Chloe pointed it towards the door before pulling out her phone. She called dispatch to report the break-in and then called Lucifer. He didn't pick up, which was weird, so she left a message saying that someone had broken in her front door.

With that done, Chloe tucked away her phone and carefully stepped towards the door. Using her foot, she pushed the door open and pointed her gun towards the darkness. She couldn't see anything at first, but as her eyes adjusted, she could make out the remnants of embers from candles that were once burning about half way into the apartment.

That's when the smell hit her.

"Sulfur." Chloe whispered to herself and her eyes widened. There was a demon in her home. And it probably wasn't her  _roommate_.

"Maze?" Chloe called out and what she heard in return sent a chill into the depths of her bones.

The noise was a growl, but it was more than that. It vibrated through her like the base of song being played in a nightclub if you were standing right next to the subwoofers.

"Okay. Not Maze." Chloe whimpered as two red eyes peered out at her through the darkness.

Without another thought, Chloe turned and ran, intent on getting back to the parking lot, into her car, and away from whatever horrible creature the stupid God-Dog people had left for her to find. The creature clearly had other plans because it was right behind her the instant she started sprinting away. The growls and gnashing of teeth could be heard as she rounded the corner towards the parking lot and took the single flight of stairs three steps at a time. She could hear the sounds of claws hitting cement and her heart jumped into her throat as she realised that the creature was too close for her to stop. She wouldn't be able to get to her keys and open her car door quick enough. The thing would get her.

"Oh, god..." Chloe panted as she passed her car and through the parking lot as fast as her feet would carry her. She could feel a cramp begin to take residence in her side, but there was no pain in this _universe_  that was going to get her to slow down and stop for a single second. But, as she crossed over the edge of the lot onto natural terrain, a rather large branch that caught her foot sent her sprawling forward, her gun skittering into the brush just beyond her reach.

 _Typical_. She thought to herself angrily. She was going to die a horrible death because she tripped in the woods like a freaking horror film plot device. She tried to scramble back onto her feet, but the creature bowled her over and tumbled with her a few feet before it pressed her shoulders into the ground, the demon's entire weight holding her in the dirt.

"I don't want to die..." Chloe whispered as she scrunched her eyes shut and tensed, waiting for the end to come. The bite, the blade, the pain was... wet?

The wetness on her face continued and it took Chloe a long while to realise that she wasn't being eaten. She was being  _licked_.

"What the..." Daring to open her eyes, Chloe found that there wasn't a hideous, rotting demon atop her, but something else.

Dan had described what the demon he'd seen looked like. Chloe had even gotten Maze to finally show her what her demon face was. This was none of those. This creature wasn't even remotely human.

The beast that kept it's large, clawed paws on Chloe's shoulders was furry.  _Really_ furry. When it stopped licking and pulled away, she could see that it had the face of some kind of dog. It had a full, lion-like mane of what could only be described as  _resilient_ black fur while the rest of its body, from what Chloe could see from her position, was also black, but the fur there seemed to pour off it like smoke. It's tongue lolled above her and it looked down at her with fire in it's eyes. Fire in it's eyes just like Lucifer's. 

And it looked...  _Happy_ _?_

"Erm... hello?" Chloe choked out and the dog-thing gave a short yip and pushed off her, sitting down by her feet. Now Chloe could see the whole thing and she shifted up on her elbows. The creature was _huge_ and looked like a mix between a great lion and wolf. It would easily come up to Chloe's chest if she were standing. It's tale, which was flicking back and forth, was long and fluffed like a puma's. "You're... not going to kill me? Not that I'd want you to, but..."

The creature gave another short bark and then dropped down onto it's belly to peer at her curiously. In the distance, Chloe could hear sirens.

 _Crap_. She thought to herself. She couldn't have uniforms here. Not with this...  _thing_... running about. Why didn't it try to kill her?

"Um. Hey. Can you... can you stay here?" Chloe asked and the dog-thing tilted it's head. Slowly, Chloe got up. The creature watched her but remained where it was. "Erm... stay... please?"

Slowly edging around the beast, Chloe grabbed her gun from the bushes and made her way back to the parking lot just in time to greet the officers arriving.

"Detective! Is everything okay?" One of the officers asked as she approached.

"Ha! Uh, yeah. I thought I saw a guy running from the scene, but it was just some animal." Chloe lied. She still felt wrong about lying. Lucifer didn't lie. But it was partially true, right? There is definitely some sort of animal involved. Her eyes briefly flicked over to the brush of the woods before returning to the police officers.

"Well, we can go ahead and cordon off the scene if you want." The second officer said and Chloe quickly nodded.

"Yeah, actually. Let's do that. It's really similar to the scenes of a case I'm working. I think the killers know I'm the lead detective. This might be retaliation." Chloe said, ushering the officers towards the crime scene. "Start processing and I'll call for forensics."

With the officers taken care of, Chloe quickly got out her phone and called Lucifer.

 _"Detective! I believe I've found us a lead on–"_ Lucifer answer cheerfully, but Chloe quickly cut him off.

"Lucifer, shut up and listen. The Dogs People broke into my house and summoned a creature there. I'm fine, but I need you here right now." Chloe said quickly.

 _"Are you okay?! Is Maze there?! Did she take care of it!?"_ Lucifer's suddenly panicked voice rambled off through the phone.

"I said I'm fine. I've got officers processing the scene. The thing is... well, it's alive, but it didn't try to kill me. It's... you know what, just get here. Now." Chloe said as calmly as she could while her eyes wandered the small forested area just beyond the parking lot. "Please."

 _"I'm on my way."_ Lucifer said before hanging up the phone.

* * *

Lucifer didn't really understand how he could be feeling complete and utter rage at the same time as wanting to vomit with panic. It was a strange mixture of emotions and he'd be sure to talk to Linda about it in their next session, but for now, he needed to get to Chloe.

At first, he thought of just flying there. It would have taken him a moment, but he immediately thought of how his wings cramped up the one time he had tried to fly. No. He didn't need to take such a chance. The detective had assured him she was fine, but he needed to get to her in one piece. Not that he didn't break every speed limit on the way.

When he pulled into her complex, the police lights created a halo of blue and red over everything. Chloe was leaning against her car talking to one of the forensics people. Lucifer hadn't met that tech yet and, if he wasn't so concerned with the now-free demon and the detective's safety, he would probably ask the man his name, but that wasn't in the cards, poor chap. Chloe actually saved Lucifer from having to interrupt by shooing the tech away and making a beeline to her partner the moment she noticed him approaching.

"Thank G-... er  _You_ that you're here." Chloe said, having clearly caught herself. Good. If she could be concerned with offending his pride, then she was probably okay.

"What happened? Are you hurt?" Lucifer asked, reaching towards her without a care for professional boundaries and running his palms down Chloe's arms. Chloe didn't stop him either. He was silently thankful she didn't brush him off. Touching her helped ease the worry that was gnawing at the pit of his stomach.

"I'm okay. Just really shaken." Chloe said before taking Lucifer's forearm and pulling him away from the police cars. "Come on. You need to see this. If it isn't gone."

"The demon? It's still here?" Lucifer asked, his eyes wide in surprise. The first time Mazikeen came to earth, she was overwhelmed by it's possibilities. There was no way a demon would just  _stick_ _around_ and _wait_.

"I... I don't think it's a demon." Chloe said, but didn't explain further as she led Lucifer out of the parking lot and into the wooded area.

"Detective, louboutins are not made for off-roading." Lucifer whined, but before Chloe could respond, a bright, piercing bark erupted from the brush and that sound was the only warning Lucifer got before he was assaulted by a large furry mass leaping up onto him and knocking him to the ground.

"Lucifer!" Chloe exclaimed before unholstering her gun and pointing it at the creature.

"Wait, detective, wait. It's alright." Lucifer said from beneath the body of fur, trying to contain his laughter. This was both astounding and wonderful. Of all the creatures that those morons could have summoned. "Down, down, you ruddy beast.  _Az'rahul, Saah gaek!"_

The words that Lucifer spoke held a dark, heated power to them and the beast quickly scrambled off him and sat obediently at his feet, it's eyes watching him with a eerie seriousness.

"Good dog." Lucifer said as he dragged himself off the ground and brushed off his bespoke suit. He then looked at Chloe and grinned. "You were right, detective. This is no demon.  _This_ is Az'rahul, a hellhound."

"A... hellhound?!" Chloe exclaimed.

"Yes, my dear. You can put the gun down." Lucifer said, pointing to Chloe's weapon. She looked unsure and Lucifer chuckled. "I'm quite serious. Azra won't harm you. Not as long as I'm here. Hellhounds are _achingly_ loyal."

Lowering and eventually holstering her weapon, Chloe looked at the large beast skeptically.

"Okay. I get why it likes _you_. You're the Devil. You're it's master or something, right? But what about me?" Chloe asked, looking to Lucifer with confusion knitting her brow. "It seemed happy to see me, too. I mean... it _licked me_. A lot."

"Lucky mutt." Lucifer teased and when Chloe's furrow deepened, he sighed. "Alright, first of all, not an  _it_. _Him_. Az'rahul is a boy." He then turned to look at the dog and smiled playfully at him. "And you're such a good boy, huh? You just wanted to play with the detective, hmm?" 

The dog barked and Chloe shook her head in disbelief.

"Yes, detective, there a boy and girl hellhounds. How else do you think we breed them?" Lucifer smiled before stepping towards the animal and placing a hand between its large, pointed, furry ears. "You can tell the difference by the horns. He has none. Females do. And hellhound horns are rather large so the are hard to miss."

"Okay, yeah, fine.  _He_ didn't attack me. He just chased me down, jumped on me and... well, he reacted the same way to me as he did to you. What the hell, Lucifer? Why?" Chloe asked, now clearly becoming exasperated.

"That is a good question, detective. Hellhounds hunt wayward souls. Usually souls that they have been scented to find." Lucifer explained. "They _love_ to hunt. I have no idea why he didn't try to consume you or any other human within a three-block radius. _Or_ why he waited until I got here."

"Well... I did sort of ask him to stay." Chloe provided and Lucifer looked down at the dog and then back at her. It was now his turn to look flabbergasted. 

"You gave him a command and he _listened_ to you?" Lucifer asked, his head tilting in confusion. "What did you say, exactly?"

"I said  _stay, please_." Chloe said with a small shrug of her shoulders. "And he did."

"Tell him to do something else." Lucifer said and Chloe scoffed.

"Are you kidding?" She asked and Lucifer shook his head.

"No, detective, I assure you I'm quite serious." Lucifer nodded, removing his hand from the beast's head and gesturing for the detective to try.

"Um... Az'rahul?" Chloe said, looking to Lucifer for confirmation that she'd said the name correctly. He nodded, but she didn't need him to tell her. The dog was now watching her with those intense, red eyes. "Erm, right. Az'rahul, lay down."

With a quiet yip, the hellhound lad down on its belly and seemed to almost smile up at her with pride.

"Holy crap." Chloe whispered.

"Seconded, detective. Seconded." Lucifer said, now focused on the dog. "How very interesting. You're not a demon. You're not a Lilim. You're certainly not me. So why would a hellhound heed your commands?"

"I don't know, Lucifer. What I do know is that this place is still crawling with cops and there is a freaking  _hellhound_ out here." Chloe said in a heated whisper.

"Alright, alright, keep your knickers on. It's not that bad. Here, watch." Lucifer said before turning to the beast. " _Az'rahul. Xa raeq zaar."_

Just like that, the hellhound vanished.

"Woah, wait. Where'd he go? Lucifer?" Chloe said, her eyes darting around and her breath picking up.

"Relax, detective. He's still right where we left him. You just can't see him. Where demons can hide their true face, hellhounds can make sure humans can't see them. How else do you think we bring them on hunts?" Lucifer asked, shaking his head. "Can't rightfully go running around town with a bunch of huge dogs with glowing red eyes, could we?"

"He's still there?" Chloe asked and Lucifer nodded. "Like, right there?"

Chloe reached out and was surprised to feel fur beneath her fingers even though there was clearly no hellhound to be seen.

"Okay, I've met my weirdness quota for today." She muttered as she withdrew her hand and Lucifer chuckled.

"Unfortunately, we're not done. We've got to take a look at what the Dogs have left us. Besides another, more _tangible,_ dog." Lucifer said. "Don't worry about Azra. I'll keep him close, but out of sight."

"Okay. I trust you." Chloe said, clearly still weary, but trusting her partner. This was his area of expertise anyway.

* * *

Once forensics had processed the scene, Lucifer and Chloe stood in the detective's apartment surveying the damage. There really wasn't much damage as there was just a big mess. It was the same as the previous crime scenes. A small summoning circle written with the blood of a chicken, candles, the smell of sulfur. Thankfully, it had only ruined the small entry area instead of most of Chloe's home. There were some scratches on the floor that looked like claw marks, but they were few and far between. They probably occurred when the hellhound took chase.

"I've texted Maze to tell her what happened. She's on her way back." Lucifer had said as Chloe began cleaning up the spent candles and trashing the plastic bowl full of chicken bits.

"Ugh, I completely forgot about Maze. I'm a terrible roommate." Chloe groaned.

"Fear not, detective, she was more worried about you and your spawn." Lucifer said as he watched her clean.

"Trixie is with Dan." Chloe said, looking through the cabinets beneath the sink in search for the mop bucket and sponges.

"As I've informed her. I also let her know that we have a new, furry guest. She's quite excited." Lucifer smiled, somehow procuring a sponge out of thin air and handing it to Chloe.

"Excited? She's excited about a hellhound?" Chloe asked, plunking the bucket she'd pulled from beneath the sink int the basin and beginning to fill it with water with a mixture of floor cleaner.

"Of course she is. Az'rahul was my personal hound. He would always accompany Maze and I when we came up here to fetch any escaped souls." Lucifer said before taking off his coat and laying it on the back of the sofa.

"I thought you said souls can't escape Hell." Chloe said, watching as the bucket filled with water.

"No. I said souls can't escape their _cages_. But they have to get  _into_ the cages first. Some souls require... judgement, I suppose. They are already guilty, they  _are_ in  _Hell_ , but sometimes their torture can't be determined by the automated process. There is a very,  _very_ small opportunity for escape. It's very rare, but possible."

"Well, _that's_ not creepy at all." Chloe said sarcastically. She pulled the full bucket out of the sink with a heave only to have Lucifer reach over and take it from her with effortless grace.

"Allow me." He offered with a grin, lifting the bucket as if it weighed nothing and placing it next to the offending circle of blood. 

"Er, thanks." Chloe said, only now just realising that Lucifer had also removed his vest and had rolled up his shirtsleeves. Was he actually going to  _help_ her scrub the floors?

"Think nothing of it, detective." Lucifer scoffed with a wave of his hand. And, to Chloe's absolute shock, got himself his own sponge, hiked up his trousers a bit, and knelt down to get to work.

Chloe knew better than to look a gift horse in the mouth and said nothing. She just knelt opposite him and began to attempt to clean up the mess.

"Of course my phone died on the way here. This is _priceless_." Came Maze's voice from the doorway, her hands on her hips and a brilliant smile on her face. "The King of Hell, on his knees, scrubbing–OOF!"

Maze's snide comments wer cut off as she was thrown from the doorway back outside.

"Maze!" Chloe exclaimed but Lucifer only laughed and held out a hand to stay the detective. It was then that Chloe realised what happened. She could hear Maze's rare, but bubbling, laughter as she was attacked the same way both Chloe and Lucifer were. Az'rahul was clearly licking her face with joy.

"Azra, heel!" Lucifer chuckled and there was a skittering sound as the invisible dog returned to his master. " _Oddaon._ "

In a whoose of smoke-like, black, vapour, the hellhound apparated beside Lucifer, the beast's paws dancing excitedly in anticipation. Even though the creature was huge and definitely intimidating with those Hellfire eyes, Chloe couldn't help but smirk at how puppish the hellhound was behaving.

"I know, you want to see Mazikeen, but at least wait for her to get inside." Lucifer said sternly and the hellhound turned to sit and wait as Maze entered the apartment and closed the door behind her. "Okay, now you can greet her."

Azra was off like a shot and Chloe smiled as he leapt up to continue where he left off. This time, Maze was ready and she held out her arms as the hellhound stood on its hind legs to lap at the demon's face, it's giant paws wrapping her in a big hug.

" _Az'rahul! Iq iz kaeaeg qae zaa esaeu!_ " Maze exclaimed in the same guttural language Lucifer used earlier.

"What language is that?" Chloe whispered as she watched Maze enjoy a rare moment of joy that didn't involve sex or torture.

"Dimoori sheol. The language of demons, remember? That was what those tossers who gave me my wings back used." Lucifer pointed down at the floor. "The same language we're scrubbing off your hardwood."

"It's really... grunty." Chloe offered, knowing that was a terrible description but it seemed Lucifer followed.

"It is, but all demons knew how to do before they created their own language was grunt and growl, so it only stands to reason that their speech would follow the pattern." Lucifer shrugged before turning back to his scrubbing and shouting over his shoulder. "If you're done greeting the dog, Maze, grab a sponge. Unless you want the smell of rotten chicken in your home for eternity."

Maze put up a bit of a fight once she was released by Az'rahul. Maze  _hated_ cleaning, but Lucifer kept hammering down the point that the chicken blood could possibly breed human illnesses which would put Chloe and Trixie at risk. They could get sick. They could die. That is what eventually led to Mazikeen joining Chloe and Lucifer on the floor to mop up the mess.

By the end of the evening, well past midnight, the apartment was clean, the trash taken out, and Lucifer, Chloe, and Maze were all seated in the living room each with a glass of wine in their hands. Az'rahul was laying on the floor by Maze's feet, happily taking a nap while the Devil, demon, and detective spoke.

"This is getting to be too much. What if Trixie had been here?" Chloe said, sipping her wine. At least she finally got to have that glass of wine she'd wanted since before she was chased through the parking lot by a hellhound.

"Azra wouldn't have touched her. Her soul is too pure." Maze said with a shake of her head. "If anything, she would have scared him. Too close to angelic."

"Maze has a point. Hellhounds are lesser beings of Hell. They'd run away from any of my siblings in a heartbeat." Lucifer added. "And let's not forget what I told you about children in Hell."

Maze offered a full-body shiver at Lucifer's words and shook her head.

"Creepy, little imps." The demon said. "No thanks."

"I'm not talking about Azra. I'm talking about the crazy people who broke into our house." Chloe said with a wave of her glass. "I mean, if Trix was here with a babysitter, what would they have done? We've already seen that they aren't beneath kidnapping. What if they took her to get to me? To us?"

"I'd kill them." Maze growled, her eyes narrowing. "No one touches the little human and lives."

"Easy, Maze." Lucifer said, raising a hand to calm the demon. "Thankfully, the spawn wasn't here, but perhaps it would be best if she stayed with Daniel for the time being until we take care of the zealots for good."

"No. Who would protect them if I'm not around?" Maze demanded, waving her own glass and spilling a bit on her leather pants.

"If you're out hunting the nutters, how will you be here to protect the child?" Lucifer asked and Maze frowned.

A small yip brought everyone's attention to the hellhound at Mazikeen's feet.

"Well, there's an idea." Lucifer said, mostly to himself and Chloe quickly followed his train of thought.

"No. No, Lucifer. We are not giving my kid a  _hellhound._ " She said, shaking her head and frowning.

"I'm not  _giving_ him to her, detective, I'm going to  _assign_ him to her." Lucifer explained, finishing his glass of wine in three, quick gulps before leaning forward to place the glass on the coffee table in front of him.

"Lucifer..." Chloe began in protest, but Lucifer spoke right over her.

"Hear me out, detective. I've said that hellhounds are fiercely loyal." Lucifer said, gesturing to the dog who was now looking happily up at Chloe. That little rascal  _knew_ what they were talking about, didn't he? "But they are also incredibly intelligent for animals. Complex commands are easy for them to understand."

"He understands us now, doesn't he?" Chloe asked, looking at the beast in question.

"He does. He knows we're working out a job for him and he'll do anything to please us. You included, strangely enough." Lucifer said. "So why don't I tell Azra to stay out of sight and protect young Beatrice while he's up here? It'll give the poor dog something to do."

"Giving Trixie a guardian does sound like a good idea, Decker." Maze added. "He'll protect her as fiercely as I would."

Chloe looked up at Maze and then over to Lucifer and then back down at Az'rahul. All three of them wore the same expectant expression. Chloe knew she lost the battle when her eyes looked back up to meet Lucifer's and she saw something like pleading hope in his eyes. He was hoping she'd say yes. He wanted to protect her daughter in whatever ways he could.

Damn. It seemed that she was indeed giving her kid a hellhound.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So much happened in this chapter! I really want to write a scene of Trixie meeting Azra, but that isn't going to happen. He's going to stay hidden and protect his tiny human from the shadows. Sorry, y'all. That being said, there is now a Hellhound in play which means that the hunt is going to get easier. That also means where are getting close to the end.
> 
> Thanks to everyone for the well-wishes regarding my tonsillectomy. Everything is healing up great and I'm almost completely finished with this "waking up with a sore throat" nonsense. That being said, I was so out of it that I only saw the Lucifer winter special today! Insane, right!? Good for you guys, though, because it got me in the writing mood.
> 
> As always, your comments and kudos bring me life. Shoot any drabble prompts my way too, if you'd like. They are good for pallet cleansing in the midst of this giant freaking novel I'm writing. Thank you all for keeping up with me! I know this one is getting HUGE! <3


	13. Sermones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dan meets Az'rahul and the Dogs come after the one person they most definitely shouldn't.

Chloe found herself standing in front of of Dan's door vacillating between knocking and just saying to hell with it and letting Lucifer handle this. Of course, she _couldn't_ let Lucifer handle this because Dan still wasn't ready to see him. So it fell to her to take care of this utterly ridiculous introduction.

"Why is this so complicated?" Chloe asked and she felt a warm heat press against her thigh. With a soft sigh, she placed her hand on the head of the nothing beside her. Az'rahul, the shockingly friendly hellhound, was invisible and sitting beside her waiting for his orders.

Lucifer had insisted that Azra would follow any commands she gave. They even tested it a few more times that morning to ease Chloe's concerns. Maze had been completely shocked which led to discussions as to _why_ the hellhound listened to Chloe. No one had and answer, so the subject was dropped for the time being.

Now, here she was, standing in front of her ex's apartment about to explain to him that she had a creature from Hell at her side that was assigned to protect their daughter.

"This is not going to go well." Chloe sighed before gently knocking on Dan's door.

When the door opened, Chloe was greeted by her Trixie who was smiling brightly up at her.

"Mommy!" Trixie exclaimed before leaping forward to give her mother a hug.

"Trix, what have I said about answering the door?" Came Dan's voice as he appeared in the doorway.

"But it's just Mommy." Trixie said, looking around at her father with big eyes.

"I can see that, but it could have been a stranger." Dan said, but he was smiling. He reached down to pick Trixie up before grinning at Chloe.

"Daddy's right." Chloe said, nodding.

"Okay." Trixie sighed in defeat. "No answering the door alone."

"No answering the door alone." Dan parroted before placing Trixie down and shooing her back inside. "Now, go finish your snack."

Trixie bounded away and Dan watched her with a grin before turning back to Chloe.

"I thought you said you wanted me to keep her until the whole evil magic people case was over?" Dan said, clearly uneasy about the topic as he placed his hands on his hips.

"I did and I do. There's just…" Chloe's eyes trailed to the empty space at her side for a moment before they flicked back up to Dan. "There's been a development and… can I come in?"

"Yeah, yeah, of course." Dan nodded, stepping out of the doorway and gesturing for Chloe to enter.

"Follow." Chloe whispered softly as she entered Dan's apartment.

"What?" Dan asked. He'd clearly heard her and Chloe felt her cheeks go pink. This was going to be so hard to explain.

"Uh, right. Hang on." Chloe said as she turned to find her daughter sitting at the breakfast table in the kitchen. "Hey, monkey. Why don't you take your snack into your room? Daddy and I have to talk about some grown-up stuff."

"I can be grown-up." Trixie said, her mouth still full of the carrot she'd been munching on.

"Not for this, baby." Chloe said. "Please?"

"Okay." Trixie said, sighing with dramatic exasperation before taking her plate with crackers, carrots, and a bit of ranch dressing to her room to finish there.

"What's this about, Chlo?" Dan asked once Trixie's door was closed.

Chloe turned around and watched Dan carefully. This was going to be difficult. She really didn't want to scare him. Well, scare him more than he already was.

"It's about the case and… and the guys who have been summoning demons." Chloe said and Dan's face fell. He clearly didn't want to talk about it, but he gave Chloe a brave nod.

"Alright. What's up?" He asked, crossing his arms in a defensive gesture.

"They broke into my apartment last night and summoned another creature." Chloe said. Before Dan could interject his horror, she continued to speak. "Except they didn't summon a demon. They summoned a hellhound. Yes, Dan, a hellhound. A dog from Hell."

"Jesus, Chloe, seriously?" Dan hissed, his eyes wide.

"And I'm sure that it didn't go as planned. They left the hellhound in my apartment for me, probably thinking it would maul me to death or something." Chloe said, her voice dropping down to a whisper. She really didn't want her daughter to hear them. "But he didn't. The hellhound, I mean. He didn't attack me. He… well, he licked me. He acted like an excited puppy. It was really kind of sweet now that I think about it."

"You can't be serious. You can't." Dan shook his head before walking away to drop onto his sofa. He placed his head in his hands and shook his head again. "This is insane."

"You have no idea." Chloe groaned before slowly walking over to Dan. She stepped on the area rug that Dan kept beneath his coffee table and she could see out of the corner of her eye that the imprints of paws followed her, making impressions in the soft fabric. "Dan, I know you don't want to have anything to do with all of this and it scares the crap out of you. It scares the crap out of me too, but these super zealots are getting really dangerous. Too dangerous for just the police."

"Tell me about it." Dan grunted before releasing his head and looking up at Chloe. "So what do we do? If they are attacking you at home, who's to say they don't know about Trixie."

"Exactly. Which is why I'm here. Lucifer," Chloe began and she caught the wince on Dan's face. "Yeah, I know. He's the Devil and that is a lot. But this is our kid, Dan. Just put it aside for now. We have to do everything we can to protect Trixie. Lucifer, Maze, and I came up with something. Well, not really me. Lucifer, Maze, and… Az'rahul."

"Azrawhat?" Dan asked, his face scrunching up in confusion.

"Az'rahul." Chloe said again. "The hellhound."

"The _hellhound_." Dan said, clearly not following.

"Yes, Dan. The hellhound. Apparently they are, in Lucifer's words, _achingly loyal_." Chloe said, mimicking Lucifer's accent a bit. "They will do whatever their master tells them to do."

"Their master being the Devil." Dan said and Chloe couldn't miss the hint of malice in his words.

"Well, not just him. Maze too. And… apparently me." Chloe said softly.

"You? You're kidding, right?" Dan said, standing abruptly and stepping closer to Chloe. "You can command a demon from Hell?"

"Not a demon. A hellhound." Chloe corrected. "But yes. He listens to me, too. We don't know why, but he does. He's actually really sweet."

"Jesus, Chloe, do you hear yourself?" Dan asked. "You just referred to a creature from hell as _sweet_. Twice!"

Dan's voice was growing loud and he stepped forward to grip Chloe's wrist.

"Are you sure that Lucifer's mind crap doesn't work on you?" He asked, growing more and more agitated. He pulled on Chloe's arm and she jerked forward. "Are you _sure_ he's not controlling you?"

Suddenly, a dark growl echoed through the room and Dan's eyes grew wide as his head darted around in search of the source of the noise.

"Dan, let me go." Chloe said gently, her own eyes now watching the paw prints as they shifted to a wider stance. Azra was preparing to attack. "Slowly."

Dan's eyes followed Chloe's line of sight and he saw the imprints. His face went white as a sheet and he quickly removed his hand from Chloe's wrist and held it up in defence.

"Chloe…" Dan whispered, his voice full of fear now.

"It's okay, Dan. I swear. He's just protective of me." Chloe said, her hand reaching down to land on, what looked like to Dan, nothing.

"He's… _Jesus Christ_ , Chloe… it's _here?"_ Dan hissed, his eyes trying to focus on what he could not see.

"I know, I'm sorry. I was going to work up to it. Slowly introduce you. Just calm down." Chloe begged, her eyes pleading. "It's really okay. He won't hurt you."

"Holy crap…" Dan said, slowly backing away from Chloe and the invisible hound. "Chloe…"

"Dan, breathe. It's okay." Chloe said in as much of a soothing tone as she could. "I can show him to you. He's only invisible because he's been told to be."

"So, they aren't always invisible?" Dan asked, his eyes never wavering from the spot where there was supposedly a giant hellbeast.

"No. I didn't think you or your neighbours would appreciate me showing up with a giant, scary dog in tow. So I told him to remain invisible until I prepared you." Chloe said. "He only growled at you because you grabbed me. It really is okay. I promise."

"Show me." Dan said, not looking any less panicked.

"Are you sure?" Chloe asked gently. "He's not like that demon you saw. He's definitely intimidating, but he's kind of cute once you get past the red eyes and the smokey fur."

"Show. Me." Dan said again, his voice cold.

With sigh Chloe nodded and removed her hand from where it floated in the empty space.

"Az'rahul. Appear." Chloe said and the empty space was filled with a, quick, swirling wisp of smoke before revealing the four-foot-tall beast.

"Oh god…" Dan whimpered as he reeled back. His leg caught the corner of his coffee table and he fell to the floor with a thud. Chloe made to go to him, but Azra moved with her.

"Azra, stay." Chloe said and the dog halted. Chloe then went to Dan's side and reached out to grip his shoulder. "Dan? Hey. It's really okay. Just look at him. Take it in. He's a good… er… dog. Really."

"His eyes, Chloe." Dan whined softly. "They're the same as…"

It was clear that Dan couldn't finish the sentence. He was too scared.

"It's apparently a trait of things from Hell. Lucifer has those eyes." Chloe said, rubbing Dan's shoulder in what she hoped was a calming manner. "It doesn't mean anything. It's just the way they are. Don't let the monster that attacked you affect your judgement. Azra won't hurt you."

Azra tilted his head at the sound of his name, watching Chloe carefully.

"I've told him to stay, so he'll stay." Chloe said before reaching down to take Dan's hand. "Here, go on. Pet him."

"What? No!" Dan exclaimed and Chloe quickly shushed him. She _definitely_ didn't want Trixie coming out of her room now.

"It's okay. I know I keep saying that, but I mean it." Chloe said, gently pulling on Dan's hand. Dan shook his head, his eyes wild and his face still pale. Chloe let out a sigh before looking over at the hellhound. "Fine. Azra, come here for a second."

Standing up, Azra slowly padded over, his tongue lolled out in a happy expression. Dan closed his eyes tightly and held his breath as Chloe picked up his hand and gently placed it on Azra's muzzle. After a moment, the hound licked Dan's hand.

Dan took in a quick breath and held it before he slowly opened his eyes. Az'rahul was watching Dan while gently licking his palm as if to say _"I'm a nice dog. I'm a good dog. See?_ "

"Um… hello." Dan finally said, his voice incredibly shaky, but at least he was breathing. Azra gave a soft yip before licking Dan's hand with more enthusiasm. "Okay, okay. You can stop that now."

Azra pulled away and Chloe giggled softly. Dan looked up at her to give her a small, wincing smile.

"A freaking hellhound. For real?" Dan whispered and Chloe nodded.

"A freaking hellhound." Chloe chuckled. "See? He's not so bad. Actually, from what I've come to understand, hellhounds aren't bad at all. As long as they are well-trained and treated kindly, they are just like any other dog."

"So weird." Dan said, his voice growing stronger. Slowly, he got to his feet and reached out again, this time gently petting Az'rahul's head. The hellhound stayed where he was and closed his eyes while his tail flicked happily back and forth. "So did Lucifer insist… uh, Azra?… follow you around?"

"Actually, no. That's what I came here to talk to you about." Chloe said, worried about how Dan would react to her dropping another bomb on him. "We talked about it, Lucifer, Maze, and I, and we felt that Azra would be best used in watching over Trixie until this whole mess is over."

"Woah, what?" Dan said, pulling his hand away from the hellhound and staring at his ex-wife as if she'd recommended he go jump off a roof. "No. No way. I am not letting this thing near our daughter."

"Dan, he's not a _thing_." Chloe hissed and Azra whimpered softly. "And he can understand you, sort of. Hellhounds are really smart. Don't be mean."

"It's a _hellhound_ , Chloe." Dan said, his voice tense again.

"I know. Trust me. I wasn't for it at first, but the more I thought about it, the better it sounded." Chloe said and before Dan could raise more protests, she reached out and took his hand. "Azra is Lucifer's hellhound. Think about that. He's the _Devil's_ _personal hound_. Trixie couldn't be any safer while he protects her."

Dan shook his head and looked back down at the creature in front of him.

"Are you sure it's safe?" Dan asked, watching the hound with apprehension.

"I promise. Just think of it like Maze being with her." Chloe said and Dan tilted his head.

"Maze… the demon." Dan said and Chloe frowned.

"My roommate and friend. She would never let anything or anyone harm Trixie." Chloe said with meaning in her tone. "And neither would Lucifer. They have weird ways of showing it, but they care about her."

"I know." Dan sighed, reaching up to rub his face only to find it covered in dog slobber. He looked at his hand a chuckled softly. "Okay. Fine… okay. But how is this going to work?"

"Well, like you saw, he can remain invisible. I'll tell him to keep his distance and make sure no one sees him, but he'll always watch Trixie no matter where she is." Chloe explained before turning to the hellhound. "Az'rahul. You are assigned to my daughter, Trixie. You keep her safe. Understand?"

Azra barked loudly and even gave what looked like a curt nod.

"Was that a dog?" Trixie shouted and her door began to open.

"Azra, disappear." Chloe quickly hissed and the hellhound vanished just as her daughter returned with an empty plate and a curious frown.

"I thought I heard a dog." Trixie said and Chloe looked at Dan before smiling and shaking her head.

"Nope. No dog here." Chloe said while gesturing to the empty space. Of course, there were still an impression in the carpet, but Trixie seemed not to notice.

"Okay." Trixie shrugged and then moved to the kitchen to throw her paper plate in the trash bin.

"This is going to be weird." Dan whispered to Chloe.

"Not if you don't make it weird." Chloe whispered back. "I've got to get back home. Lucifer and Maze are trying to figure out a way to drive the zealots out of hiding and I don't want them going off to do something stupid."

"Understandable." Dan nodded before shifting from foot to foot nervously. "I'll… maybe we can stop by later tonight?"

Chloe looked at her ex and she smiled brightly. Dan was willing to give it a try. That was a great sign.

"Of course. We can order pizza." Chloe said and Trixie came bounding over to them with a huge grin.

"We're going to have pizza?" She exclaimed and Chloe laughed.

"Maybe. It's depends on if I have work tonight or not." Chloe said. "I've got to get going. You be good for daddy, monkey."

"You got it." Trixie nodded and gave Chloe a salute before taking off back to her room.

"And Azra, you keep her safe." Chloe said to the air and was rewarded with a soft yip.

"So weird." Dan said, shaking his head, but Chloe knew it was going to be alright.

 

* * *

 

Dan actually did bring Trixie over to Chloe and Maze's apartment that evening. It was awkward at first, but after a belly full of pepperoni pizza and a couple of glasses of fine scotch that Lucifer had provided, Dan had loosened up. Once Trixie was in bed, he began asking all the questions that Chloe couldn't answer before. Lucifer did his best to answer what he could.

"Where do the wings go?"

"Do you understand theoretical physics?"

"No." 

"Then the go  _away._ "

"What is the deal with Charlotte?"

"I don't think you want to know quite yet."

"Seriously, who is she?"

"The soul of my mother, the Goddess of All Creation, occupying the body of a dead lawyer."

"I need another drink."

It went on like that for hours until it was getting obscenely late. Lucifer offered to drive Dan home, seeing as how he'd had just bit too much, but just as they were getting into an argument about it, a loud shriek came from Trixie's bedroom.

"Trixie!" Chloe shouted and everyone clambered over each other to get to the room.

A vicious growl could be heard followed by the sound of glass shattering and loud barking. When they entered, Maze and Lucifer arriving before Chloe and Dan because of their supernatural speed, Trixie ran over to practically flew into Lucifer's arms. The devil didn't even balk and instead picked her up with ease to clutch the terrified child against him.

The bedroom window was broken and loud barks could be heard in the distance.

"Mazikeen. Follow." Lucifer commanded. "Retrieve Az'rahul."

Maze wasted no time and leapt out of the window to run after the hellhound.

"Trixie, baby. Are you okay?" Chloe asked, quickly sidling up to Lucifer to pet her daughter's hair.

"There was a man." Trixie whimpered, turning her face towards her mother. "He was in the window and then there was a growling noise and then the window broke."

With the hellhound invisible, Trixie didn't actually see what had happened. Whoever was at Trixie's window had clearly upset Az'rahul and he jumped into action to protect his charge.

"What did the man look like?" Lucifer asked, his voice nowhere near as soothing as Chloe's, but Trixie clearly didn't mind as she continued to cling to him.

"He was wearing a funny dress with a hood." Trixie said, her eyes welling up with tears before she buried her face into Lucifer's shoulder and began to cry.

"Shh, monkey. It's okay now." Chloe said, rubbing Trixie's back while Lucifer held her. "You're going to go home with Daddy, okay. Lucifer and I are going to get the bad man."

"Christ, you were right." Dan said, running his hands through his hair. "They are watching her. Us. Maybe I should take her to my parents' place instead?"

"That would probably be wise." Lucifer said, his voice still stoney. It was obvious that he was trying his best to contain his anger.

Maze returned a few moments later, unceremoniously climbing in the window. The sound of claws and heavy huffing accompanied her which let everyone aside from Trixie know that Az'rahul had returned as well.

"I should have let Azra take him. He wasn't fast." Maze said and, unlike Lucifer, her anger was on full display.

"No." Lucifer said, his brows furrowing darkly. "No, Azra has the scent now. We'll be able to follow at any time."

"So why aren't we going now?" Maze asked, nearly shouting.

Trixie whimpered against Lucifer's frame and Maze had the courtesy to look ashamed. She never wanted to scare the little human.

"I'm with Maze." Dan said, shaking his head. "Why aren't we chasing after him?"

"Because, Daniel, he was only the worker bee. We want the entire hive." Lucifer said before looking over at Mazikeen with a wicked, insidious grin. When Chloe looked up at Lucifer, she saw that his eyes were blazing red. "Ready to go on a hunt, my dear?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been too long since I've given you all an update, so BAM! I've felt so guilty posting all these other fics that I just had to take the time to add another chapter here. There you go! Let's go get some bad guys! We're almost to the finish line! WHOO!


	14. Venandi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The hunt begins.

The rest of the evening was spent packing Trixie up to send off with Dan. Detective Espinoza was in no condition to drive, so Maze drove his car while Lucifer and Chloe escorted Dan home. It seemed reasonable enough to make sure that they all stuck together. The Domini Canis were clearly watching all of them now and once the man Lucifer had dubbed the "worker bee" had returned to the rest of his brethren he would probably fill in the cult about how he'd almost been caught.

"We won't have a great deal of time before they move again." Lucifer said as Chloe drove and Dan tried to regain his sobriety in the back seat. They'd decided that Trixie should travel with Mazikeen and Az'rahul for optimum protection. It was everyone's top priority to make sure that Trixie remained as safe as possible until they were able to squirrel her away.

"Where do you think they'll go?" Chloe asked and Lucifer gave a dismissive shrug.

"It really won't matter. Azra knows what to look for now. He has the scent of one of their lesser members." Lucifer said. "We'll be able to find them no matter where they decide to hole themselves up."

"Look man, I'm all for tracking down a bunch of nutbars summoning demons and killing people, but if they have.... ugh... magic? That can hurt the  _Devil_... what sort of chance do we have?" Dan asked in a groaning voice from behind them.

"Infernal magic is touchy." Lucifer said, turning his body so that he could look back at Dan. He noted that the detective looked a little green. "Now that I know what they are using, I can deflect most of it. I am the king of Hell after all."

"Right." Dan scoffed and Lucifer gave the other man a bright grin.

"Do try not to be sick in the car. We won't have much time to clean it up." Lucifer chuckled and turned back front when he got a chastising thump on the arm from Chloe.

"Be nice. This is terrifying." She hissed and Lucifer rubbed his arm.

"And he's drunk." Lucifer whispered back. "Fear and booze rarely mix well."

Luckily, Dan was able to hold himself together until they arrived at his apartment. That didn't absolve him from vomiting because the first thing he did when entering his home was make a break for the bathroom. Lucifer laughed and earned himself another whack on his arm from Chloe.

Once Dan and Trixie were packed, they were loaded into Dan's car along with Az'rahul. The hellbeast was given strict instructions to listen to Dan in times of crisis and to do anything necessary to protect Trixie. 

"I'm seriously not comfortable with this." Dan said, oscillating from foot to foot as the four of them stood outside the car. Trixie was calmly watching a movie on her iPad in the front seat, headphones in so that she couldn't hear the adults talking.

"Daniel, we've been over this. It's what's best for the spawn." Lucifer provided. "Drive up north, stay at your parents' summer home, and don't come back until you hear from one of us."

"I should be fighting, too." Dan said, holding himself up a bit straighter and ceasing his fidgeting.

"I must say that I am endlessly surprised by you." Lucifer said, clapping the man on the shoulder and making him lose his footing a bit. "But now is not the time for bravery. We've got a capable team here."

"Actually, I was thinking about that." Chloe interrupted. "Wouldn't it be better if I go with Trixie to Dan's parents' place and have Dan stay back to help?"

"What?" Lucifer balked, but Chloe continued to talk right over any further objections.

"I make you vulnerable, right? So it would be a handicap having me on the team." Chloe explained. "Better to have you at full power than go in half-cocked."

"I assure you, detective, I  _always_ go in fully  _cocked_." Lucifer said with a wry grin as Chloe immediately rolled her eyes.

"You walked right into that one, Decker." Maze chuckled before turning to look at Lucifer. "But she is right. Keeping her and the little human away from all this is the wiser tactical choice."

"But–" Lucifer began but was immediately cut off by the detective.

"No buts, Lucifer. You need all your Luciferness on this one and I'm only going to make you weak." Chloe said in a tone that meant that there would be no arguing. "I'll take Trixie north and you three hang back to take out the God Dog people. The cottage is nice and quiet. We'll be safe up there while you figure out how to stop the crazies."

"As you wish, detective, but I much prefer you nearby now that the Domini Canis is watching us." Lucifer said, his features going soft as he looked down at Chloe. She smiled brightly at him and reached out to touch his arm.

"I know, but Trixie and I will be safe with Azra as our escort and I honestly think Dan will be a better asset here." She said, squeezing Lucifer's arm. "Okay?"

"Okay." Lucifer nodded with a sigh.

"That settles it then." Chloe nodded and released Lucifer's arm before making her way to the front of the car. She opened the door and turned back to give everyone a bright smile. "Give 'em Hell, yeah?"

"Oh, that is a promise, darling." Lucifer purred before Chloe got into Dan's car and drove away.

* * *

Dan was slightly out of place sitting in the Devil's living room with a former Angel, a Demon, and the literal Goddess of All Creation. He sat and watched as the celestial group spoke and said nothing until he heard his name.

"And once Maze and I clean up, Daniel can call in the LAPD to make the arrests." Lucifer said, sashaying around the bar with a glass of bourbon in his hand.

"I still don't understand why all this matters to _me_." Charlotte said, her hands crossed over her chest. "You have your wings back. Why can't we all just go home and leave these humans to deal with their own problems?"

"You think we would know how to handle something like this?" Dan asked, his voice coming out just below a yell. "Magic? Demons? Angels and Gods? Nope. No. We haven't got the first clue–"

"Of course you do." Charlotte scoffed at Dan before offering him a seductive smile. "Your kind have been dealing with this sort of thing for centuries. It's nothing."

"Oh, please stop making doe eyes at him, mum. It's nauseating." Lucifer groaned, pulling a disgusted face.

"And Dan is right." Amenadiel piped up. "Earth is different from when you remember it, mom. There are very few magic users left. It's no longer common and it's terrifying in a world of science."

"Science is magic. Only they  _understand it_ now." Charlotte said with a roll of her eyes.

"That doesn't matter." Amenadiel said. "What matters is that they nearly took Trixie,  _a child_ , to get to Lucifer."

Charlotte frowned and watched Amenadiel for a long moment. After an uneasy silence, Dan spoke.

"They tried to take my daughter." Dan said, sighing and running a hand through his hair before turning his eyes to Charlotte. "What would you do if someone tried to hurt your kid?"

"I'd annihilate them and leave them a pile of ashes." Charlotte said in a cold, stoney voice.

"Well, that is how Daniel feels." Lucifer said, waving his glass towards the now slightly pale detective. "Well, maybe not so much with the godly vengeance, but he wants to put the people who tried to hurt his offspring behind bars. They deserve punishment for what they've done to young Beatrice. To you. To  _me_. What sort of Devil would I be if I let them get away with it?" 

"Fine. But how are we supposed to find these zealots without your hellhound, hmm?" Charlotte asked, waving her hands around herself. "You sent it off to protect your favourite little human and her child."

"Az'rahul has orders to return once he's safely escorted them north." Maze said from where she was perched on the back of the sofa. "He'll come on the hunt with us to lead us to our prey."

"Correct." Lucifer nodded. "And once he's brought us to the den of Dad's pets, he's to be sent back to the detective and her spawn. Can't leave them unattended for too long until we're sure this ridiculousness is over."

"So we wait." Amenadiel said, looking at his brother.

"Yes. We wait and we ready our weapons." Lucifer nodded before downing the rest of his glass in one gulp.

* * *

Az'rahul didn't return until the next morning, which was perfectly fine with Lucifer. Being eons old gave one patience in certain matters and Lucifer knew that this particular operation needed to be handled carefully. Sure, he had a habit of running into situations without knowing exactly what he was getting himself into, but most of the time that was when he was dealing with stupid, boring, _normal_ humans. This was different. These humans had power. Infernal power.  _Dangerous_ power. 

They had spent the evening planning and, by the time the hound arrived, they were ready to go hunting. The team was rather impressive, given what they were going up against. Charlotte was strong, her goddess powers thriving in her human body. Amenadiel knew every fighting style ever created. Maze was Hell's best torturer and most loyal and adept soldier. Sure, Daniel was a simple human, but he would make an excellent lookout, was a decent shot, and could provide backup from the Los Angeles police department when all was said and done. It was a good team. Led by the Devil himself.

Everyone gathered in Lucifer's living room at what Maze deemed a stupidly early hour to ready themselves to go on their hunt.

"Now remember," Lucifer began as he adjusted his cufflinks and slid two demon daggers beneath his jacket. "Azra will have to remain invisible as we track our zealots. We can't have humans getting an eyeful of hellpuppy. Maze and I are the only ones who can see him while he's cloaked, so she will go ahead to begin the hunt. Once she finds the hideout of out infernally-charged felons, she will text us the location and we will meet her there."

"You're sure that this is going to work?" Dan asked, stifling a yawn. He clearly didn't sleep very well in the Devil's guest room, but honestly no one blamed him. He was holding up rather well given the circumstances.

"I'm positive. Az'rahul is one of Hell's finest hounds. He can scent any soul he's been ordered to find." Lucifer said, reaching out to pet the currently-visible hellhound on the head. "He knows we're looking for that little lackey. Sending Maze ahead is precautionary. Lux is probably being watched and Mazikeen and Azra can easily slip through the shadows unnoticed. I want to be sure that the Domini Canis never sees us coming."

"Once we have the location, we will leave through the private garage to the back of the building where there is hopefully no surveillance." Amenadiel said. "My car is back there. I highly doubt they are looking for it. Lucifer's car is too noticable and we need to fly under the radar."

"Not to mention my car is still at the detective's place." Lucifer said. "We had to take the detective's car here."

"Well, I suppose I can enjoy taking out a few of my ex-husbands followers. Sounds like fun." Charlotte said and Lucifer frowned at her.

"No killing, mum. They may be arseholes, but they are still human." Lucifer scolded.

"Well, that sounds significantly less fun." Charlotte scowled.

"Knock them out, tie them up, toss them into a room and lock the door. Do whatever you like to incapacitate them." Lucifer said with a wave of his hand before staring sharply at his mother. "But, no. Killing. Understood?"

"Fine, fine." Charlotte sighed and plunked herself down next to Dan who shimmied away from her slightly. Apparently he wasn't so interested in the attorney now that he knew she was God's ex-wife.

"Alright then. Maze?" Lucifer said, turning to the demon and giving her a brilliant smile. "Time to hunt."

Maze was clearly waiting with excitement for that command because she was off like a shot, barking out orders in the demon tongue. Az'rahul vanished in whoosh of smoke, but the clattering of his claws could be heard on the hardwood as the two made their way to the stairwell, skipping the elevator entirely.

"And now, once again, we wait." Lucifer smiled, turning to the bar to pour himself a drink.

"Dude, is 6AM." Dan said and Lucifer raised a brow at him.

"You're point?"

* * *

It took far too long for anyone's liking to hear from Mazikeen. Charlotte kept complaining that the demon was clearly inept, Amenadiel just got broodier and broodier as time went on, and Lucifer had to practically shove a glass of whiskey down Daniel's throat to calm him down. They were all on the verge of losing their minds when a text finally came from Maze. She called immediately after to give an update and confirm it was her that sent the text. They were taking no chances.

"I've sent Azra back to Decker. Are you sure you don't want me to go in there and take them out?" Maze asked, the phone on speaker for everyone to hear.

"No, Mazikeen. You stay right where you are until we arrive." Lucifer said.

"Murphy Ranch? Seriously?" Dan asked, looking at his phone in disbelief. "The abandoned nazi camp? That place has been closed for years, how have they not been caught trespassing?"

"Which is why it took me so freaking long to get in. Security everywhere and not a lot of hiding places in broad daylight." Maze said from the phone.

"So perhaps we should wait?" Amenadiel said everyone shot him a look. Maze shouted "Hell no." from her end. Amenadiel held up his hands and sighed. "Until nightfall. So that we have the cover of darkness. Maze can make sure they don't go anywhere, right?" 

"It's only a couple more hours before the sun sets." Dan said. "And it'll give me time to prepare SWAT if we need them."

"Bloody hell, alright, fine. We wait until night, but we're doing this the moment it's dark." Lucifer said. "I don't want to give these morons any more time to summon father knows what."

"So I just have to sit here and wait now?" Maze grumbled.

"Yes, Mazikeen. Keep your leather knickers out of a bunch and call if the Game of Thrones extras make a move." Lucifer said before promptly hanging up. "I'm going to text the detective and tell her what's going on. The rest of you get ready to move out. Daniel, you and I will go to the precinct so you can prepare backup. Mum, you and Amenadiel go to your office and wait to hear from me."

"Alright, but I don't know how much patience you can expect from me." Charlotte said sharply. "I already find all of this pointless."

"Then do it for me." Lucifer said and bit his tongue before he added  _as a favour_. That would have painted him into a corner. "For your son."

" _Fine_." Charlotte bemoaned before heading out with Amenadiel.

"Since you're brother took his car, we should probably take Chloe's." Dan said. "That way, when it gets dark, we won't be noticed leaving if we're being followed."

"Excellent thinking, Daniel. I can grab my car from the detective's place when all of this is over." Lucifer beamed as he tapped his fingers on his phone. "I'm starting to actually believe you earned that detective's badge the proper way."

"Gee, thanks, man." Dan grumbled as he stood up and headed to the elevator, Lucifer following cheerfully. "What are you smiling about? We're about to take on a bunch of magical psychos."

"Oh, I'm just texting the detective. She's apparently having a wonderful time and wishes us well." Lucifer said with a grin as he stepped onto the elevator with Dan. "She also laments the fact that your parents couldn't join them. Not that I think that would have been a good idea. Though I am grateful they allowed the use of their cottage."

"Of course, man. I just told my mom that Chloe needed to get away from work for a bit." Dan said before elbowing Lucifer in the ribs. "Her partner is an absolute devil."

"Oh, oh! Clever, Daniel. Cheeky." Lucifer laughed as the elevators closed.

* * *

Just as Lucifer and Dan had predicted, they were followed, though not by the most ingenious of felons.

"He's not even staying behind any cars." Dan chuckled. "I bet even Trixie would be able to spot this tail."

"Well, at least we know where he is and what he's driving." Lucifer grinned. "The idiot."

The rest of the daylight hours were spent pretending to do work. Lieutenant Monroe bought Dan's excuse that Chloe was too sick to call out and that he had been saddled with his daughter that morning which was why he was late. Of course, a lot of her agreeable attitude had come from Lucifer giving her this uncomfortably flirty look the entire time. Dan had to admit that it was fascinating to watch people melt around him. What was it about the devil that had everyone eating out of the palm of his hand.

"Okay, so you're the devil." Dan said, sitting down at his desk while Lucifer pulled up a chair beside him.

"I believe we've been over this." Lucifer smiled. "Multiple times, Daniel. Did you hit your head?"

"Don't be an ass. I've got a point here." Dan grumped before continuing. "You're the devil, but people genuinely like you. What's up with that?"

"Well, I suppose it has less to do with my job and more to do with my species." Lucifer shrugged. "People tend to find angels trustworthy and calming. My job just gives me the added perks of being tempting which makes people want to be near me even more."

"So devil is your job and angel is your species." Dan said before shaking his head. "This is all super freaking insane."

"Try living it." Lucifer quipped.

"Seriously, though. I went to catholic school and they didn't teach us anything about you that didn't sound horrible." Dan said and quickly held up his hands as a dark look passed over Lucifer's face. "Which you're clearly not. Horrible, I mean. You're a decent guy, which is so weird, but also really interesting, you know? I'm finding it easier to deal with. The more I think about how you steal my puddings and like way too much sugar in your coffee, the less scary you are."

"Well, of course I'm not scary. To you." Lucifer said, leaning back in his chair and crossing his legs. "You don't deserve my wrath. You may be a douche, but you're a douche with a good heart."

"You give the best compliments, man." Dan said sarcastically.

"Don't I, though?" Lucifer grinned, clearly missing the jab.

"So what were you the angel of?" Dan asked after a beat of silence.

"What?" Lucifer asked, his grin vanishing instantly.

"What were you the angel of?" Dan asked again, not even looking at Lucifer. He was shuffling around some case files while he spoke. "In school, we learned that all the angels had jobs in heaven, right? Like Gabriel was the messenger of God and Michael was the angel of war... that stuff."

When he didn't get a response right away, Dan looked up and saw that Lucifer had the sort of lost look on his face. His eyes had gone distant as if he were thinking of something far away... or of something lost.

"Lucifer?" Dan prompted and Lucifer blinked and turned his attention back to the detective.

"What? Oh, it doesn't matter. That was a long time ago." Lucifer said, his casual mask back in place.

"I mean, Lucifer means  _lightbringer_ , right? So were you the angel of light?" Dan asked and Lucifer shrugged.

"Yes. That was part of my job." Lucifer said, his voice slightly tense. He didn't want to talk about this. Especially with  _Daniel_ of all people.

"So what did that entail?" Dan asked, leaning over his desk with an eager look.

"First you were terrified of me and now you're acting like an overexcited child." Lucifer scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest and looking away. "Make up your mind, Daniel."

"Look, I'm still scared, but not of you." Dan said, reaching out to whack at Lucifer's foot and knock it off the Devil's knee. "You're a good guy with a bad rep. I can relate."

Lucifer let out a long, exasperated sigh before rolling his eyes and looking back at Dan.

"Fine. I was the angel of justice, light, and truth." Lucifer said, sounding petulant. "Happy?"

"The angel of truth? Seriously? Aren't you known as the prince of lies?" Dan asked and Lucifer scowled.

"Have I ever lied to you?" Lucifer asked, his voice deep and dark. "Ever?"

"Well... no. I guess you haven't." Dan said, leaning back as he thought longer about it. Eventually, he smiled and looked back at Lucifer with a mischievous grin. "Wait... does that mean you  _can't_ lie?"

"Of  _course_ I can lie, Daniel. I have free will. I can do as I please." Lucifer scoffed, shaking his head. "I detest lying and can sense it to a degree, but I  _choose_ not to. It's a matter of pride. My father and siblings do so bloody much of it that is only stands to reason that I would be the one do the opposite."

"So you being the angel of truth has nothing to do with it?" Dan asked, sounding like he didn't believe Lucifer at all.

"First, I'm not the angel of anything anymore. But yes, my abilities stem from my divinity. People find it nigh impossible to lie to me." Lucifer said before leaning forward. "For instance, what do you desire, Daniel?"

Dan's face immediately went slack and his eyes glazed over.

"I... I want to protect my family." He said, staring into Lucifer's eyes and unable to look away.

Lucifer grinned and released his hold before he leaned back in his chair with a smile.

"See? That simple." Lucifer beamed, all of his cockiness returning.

"Dude... how..." Dan blinked a few times and shook his head before looking back at Lucifer. "How do you do that? That's freaking weird."

"Told you. Angel of truth. Though I prefer to call it the Devil's charms, but potato, potahto at this point." Lucifer said, casually waving his hand in the air in a dismissive gesture.

"And that works on everybody?" Dan asked, still slightly dazed.

"Well, everyone except the detective. She seems to be immune for some reason." Lucifer said, shaking his head. "Probably for the same reason she makes me vulnerable."

Lucifer's phone chose that moment to buzz and he pulled it from his pocket to grin.

"But alas, that is a discussion for a later date." Lucifer smiled, waving his mobile in front of Dan. "Evening is upon us and it's time to go put down the dogs."

* * *

Losing their tail had been child's play. Apparently, Charlotte and Amenadiel had their own monk following them but Dan was able to talk them through losing their idiot over the phone. The four of them eventually met up with a rather bored-looking Mazikeen by nearly 8PM. She leaned on her car and scowled at everyone as they pulled up to the barbed-wire fencing.

"Took you long enough. I was about to take matters into my own hands." Maze groaned, flipping one of her daggers casually in her hand.

"You would have done no such thing." Lucifer grinned as he sauntered up to her. "Any movement since your arrival?"

"I've been in there for hours and it looks like they are just doing boring stuff. No chanting or crap like that." Maze said, gesturing with her head to the hole she cut in the fence. "It's about a ten minute walk to the building from here. So let's go."

She made a move to head out but Lucifer quickly reached out to grab her by the forearm.

"Ah, ah, ah, not so fast, my impatient demon. We need more info than that." Lucifer said, giving Mazikeen a knowing look. "How many baddies, where are they hiding? Details, my dear. Details."

"Ugh, fine." Maze sighed as she pulled her arm free of Lucifer's grip. "I counted six asshats which makes eight in total if we're counting the ones that are supposed to be following you. They all seem to stay in or around the same building, a barn, in the middle of everything. I checked out a couple of the surrounding buildings and they all look abandoned completely. Nice street art, though."

"Good. So they are centralised. That's perfect." Lucifer turned and pulled himself up to his full height before reaching into the car and retrieving a map of the area that Dan had procured from the police records. "Alright, brother mine. Aside from Michael, you were one of Dad's mightiest soldiers. What's the attack plan?"

Amenadiel came up beside Lucifer as the Devil spread the map over the hood of Chloe's car.

"Which building are they in, Maze?" Amenadiel asked and Maze sighed before pointing to one of the larger buildings one thr property. "Alright. Daniel, you lay in wait here. You'll be close enough to watch out for any stragglers, but far enough away so not to get hurt. I will flank from behind. Maze, mum? You both take the sides. Luci, I think it's probably best that you do you and make as much noise as possible and head in the front. Even if they are prepared, they won't know about the three of us surrounding them."

"So, I'll be the devilish distraction while the three of you close in to finish the fight quickly." Lucifer nodded. "I do love a good dramatic entrance."

"Don't we all know it." Amenadiel smiled and Dan chuckled from behind him.

"I set up surveillance from here." Dan said, reach around Amenadiel to point out a small area just to the south of the barn. "I'll have goo cover in the trees their to watch for trouble."

"Alright, that settles it then. Everyone has their roles." Lucifer grinned. "Let's go take out some zealots, shall we."

Everyone quickly followed Maze's lead and headed through the opening in the fence to begin their walk towards where the Domini Canis were hiding. They all moved quickly and quietly. Even Dan showed superb stealth alongside his supernatural companions. Eventually, the detective broke off from the group to head to his hiding spot while Maze, Charlotte, and Amenadiel broke off to start flanking towards the building. Lucifer, on the other hand, slowed his pace and began to stride towards the barn with a bright grin on his face and swagger in his step. He wanted to make sure he put on the best show possible.

In retrospect, things probably could have gone better. But, as they say, hindsight is 20/20.

Lucifer kicked in the front door and crowed, "Hello, Doggies!"

It wasn't exactly the wisest thing he could have done, but it was certainly effective. Suddenly, he was the focus of six pairs of eyes looking both horrified and irate at the same time. The next thing he knew, spells were being hurled at him at a vicious pace. They were all basic, boring, and utterly useless demon spells. Well, useless on  _him_ , but that was beside the point. He easily absorbed or deflected everything being thrown at him.

"Come now! That can't be all you've got!" Lucifer laughed as he stepped close enough to grab one of the robed monks and hurl him painfully into one of the walls of the barn, knocking the man out cold.

"Advisory! Deceiver! Another monk hissed as he came at Lucifer with a rather small axe. The Devil caught the man's wrist and stared at him in disbelief.

"Seriously? An axe?" Lucifer chuckled before swinging the man by his arm and hurling him into a pillar.

Maze easily went toe-to-toe with the monk she'd crept up on. Surprisingly, the man was a decent fighter, but he was no match for a demon of Hell. The man swung at her and she easily sliced into his arm with one of her demon daggars, causing the man to squeal out in pain before Maze headbutted him and knocked him onto the floor. One swift punch later and the man was unconscious.

Amenadiel managed to get hit with a couple of spells, getting himself knocked back a few times before he was able to dodge out of the way and sweep his leg out to knock his monk ass-over-tea-kettle. He grabbed the man by his robe and heaved him up to punch him in the side of the head, taking yet another monk out of the fight.

Charlotte easily took down the another monk from behind, silently sneaking up and grabbing the man by the throat with her arm, throttling him with her elbow until he passed out.

Lucifer turned to grin at the last remaining monk before slowly stalking towards him in a gracefully predatory fashion.

"And then there was one." He purred as the monk scrambled backwards away from the devil. He reached into his robes and fumbled out a phone to hold it up like a shield.

"Stay back, Satan, lest you seal their fate!" The man cried.

Lucifer was ready to throw this tosser out a window when the image on the phone caught his attention. It was video call.

Chloe.

Chloe and Beatrice. 

They were bound at the hands, sitting on a sofa looking terrified. And, in the corner of the screen, Lucifer caught the glimpse of the barrel of a gun. He stopped in his tracks and held up his hands to signal for everyone else to remain still.

"A wise choice, Deceiver." Said the voice through the phone speakers and Lucifer felt the fires of Hell ignite in his eyes and his blood run cold.

It was Brother Ryan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm SO SORRY this took so long. Full disclosure, I have anxiety which can sometimes spiral me off in to depression. I had a really bad couple of months, but I'm trying to get back on track. Thank you all so much for sticking with this. I've got an ending already planned, so we are one step closer. Let's hope I don't wait two and a half freaking months to update it this time, huh? *facepalm* MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU!


	15. Finis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time to finally end this battle with Brother Ryan and his ilk. Will the devil come out on top or will there be casualties of war?

The whole room had gone still.

Each member of the supernatural party stood over their charges while Lucifer eyed the image on the phone before him.

"If you harm them–" Lucifer began, but Brother Ryan cut him off quickly.

"You'll do what, Satan? Kill me?" Ryan chuckled, the image on the phone shaking slightly before the image flipped and Lucifer was able to look at the man that held the detective and her daughter hostage. "You've got two hours. Leave my brethren and send your fellow hellions home. Meet me here. If you do not comply, I will eliminate your consort."

"Consort?" Amenadiel repeated in a soft snort and Lucifer shot his brother a dark, threatening look that shut the other angel up quickly.

"It's a three hour drive up there." Lucifer said, turning back to the monk with the phone and eyeing him dangerously. The man was barely keeping himself together.

"Then you best hurry up." Brother Ryan said before hanging up the phone. Within seconds of the phone going silent, Lucifer dashed forward and knocked out the monk holding it.

"Maze, tell Daniel to call in the police to clean up this mess. Have him use whatever story fits the narrative to get these imbeciles put away in a dark cell for the rest of their lives." Lucifer said before swiftly turning on his heel and heading back towards the entrance.

"Where are you going?" Maze asked, stepping over the prone form of a monk.

"To save the detective." Lucifer said, not even bothering to stop walking.

"But–"

"No buts, Mazikeen. Take care of it." Lucifer growled as he strode out of the building to leave the rest of his compatriots to clean up the mess.

* * *

He should fly. Lucifer knew that. He had wings. For all intents and purposes, they worked, but he couldn't bring himself to use the vile things. Not since he first tried ended up panicking at the first though of falling. Growling, he pressed the gas pedal of Chloe's sedan a bit harder, pumping petrol into the engine and trying to get the vehicle to move faster. He'd been on the road for less than thirty minutes when he realised that there was no way he was going to be able to make it up to the Espinoza cabin in time.

"Come on, come  _ON_!" Lucifer growled at the car and banging on the steering wheel, but it did little to help matters.

He was going to _have_ to fly. There was no way around it.

"Bloody hell..." Lucifer hissed as he pulled over the car and put it in park. He sat at the side of the road and took in a deep breath. Chloe was in danger. Beatrice was in danger. They could die. "Now is not the time to be afraid."

Growling at himself this time, Lucifer jumped out of the car and spread his wings. It was plenty dark now and his was still on a side road. No one would see him. Looking up at the sky, he sighed. He needed to do this. He  _HAD_ to do this.

* * *

"I don't know what you think is going to happen, but you're messing with the wrong people." Chloe said as brother Ryan paced the large living room of the cabin. "He's going to come for you and you're not going to like how it ends."

"Lucifer is going to kick your ass." Trixie said with vehemence in her voice and Chloe couldn't bring herself to scold her daughter for the foul language.

"What a mouth on your child." Brother Ryan said, his voice annoyingly calm. "I should expect no less from the spawn of the Devil's Consort."

"I don't know what you think you know, but I don't think consort is the right word." Chloe said, rolling her eyes. "Best friend, sure. Partner, alright. Consort? Nope."

"Please. We've seen how he dotes on you." Ryan sneered, moving closer to Chloe and scowling at her. "He even cares for your child when she isn't even his. Unless..."

Chloe watched as the monk turned his head to stare down at Trixie for a moment before reaching out to her.

"Don't you touch her, you bastard!" Chloe shouted, struggling against her bonds to stop whatever it was that brother Ryan was attempting to do to her daughter.

"Now, now, Miss Decker, I'm just checking to see if perhaps you've spawned a nephilim." Ryan said, gently touching Trixie's chin to lift her face up and force her to look him in the eye. "That would be something."

"I don't know what that is, but you leave my daughter alone!" Chloe shouted. Trixie tried to pull away and, just before Ryan went to grip the young girl's chin, a rough, low growl was heard from beyond the windows of the cabin.

The growl was the only warning that the monk got before a window shattered and an invisible force knocked brother Ryan back. He quickly lifted his gun and started to fire, the bullets causing random splinters to burst forth from the wooden beams of the cabin. Barking and growling continued before one of the monk's bullets hit something not wooden, but fleshy and a loud yelp erupted.

In a puff of smoke, Az'rahul appeared as he repositioned himself to attack again. There was an obvious wound in his side, but he clearly wasn't bothered by it much.

"Mommy...?" Trixie whimpered, looking at Chloe in fear. "What is that?"

"A friend, baby. It's okay." Chloe whispered to her daughter before turning to look at Azra. "Get him, Azra! Get him!"

The hellhound launched himself back towards the monk, his maw open to chomp down on the first piece of brother Ryan he could. Ryan, even at his age, rolled out of the way just in time to miss the gnashing teeth before beginning to chant words that Chloe didn't understand, but had learned to recognise quickly.

Azra paused, limping slightly from the wound in his side before once again launching at the monk. Brother Ryan continued to chant and, just as Az'rahul was about to land on top of the monk, the hellhound burst into a cacophony of flame and smoke, disappearing entirely.

There was a long silence that was filled only by the heavy breathing of brother Ryan, Chloe, and Trixie.

"Where... what did you do?!" Chloe exclaimed, fearing the worst. Azra may not have been your typical pet, but Chloe had grown rather attached to the intelligent hell beast in the past two days.

Brother Ryan chuckled and slowly began to stand, brushing off his cloak and fussing with the cord around his middle for a moment before giving Chloe a condescending grin.

"I undid a mistake." Ryan said, his smile looking more like a sneer. "My proteges summoned that beast to take care of you. We didn't know you were the Devil's Consort at the time. How were we to know it would be loyal to you instead of it's summoners?"

"You killed him?" Trixie cried, her face falling as she looked at the spot where the hellhound once was.

"I merely sent him back to Hell where he belongs." Ryan shrugged and waved his hand dismissively. "Can't have a beast that remains loyal to it's King and Queen running around causing trouble."

"You know, when all of this first started, you barely knew what you were doing." Chloe said, trying to pull attention away from Trixie. "What changed?"

"Well,  _we_ did, obviously." Brother Ryan smiled, holding out his arms in a grand gesture before reaching down to pick up the gun he'd dropped to cast his spell. "We realised that the demon magic was far more powerful than anything that humans have ever come up with. Once we started practicing, it came easily enough."

"So you, a man who is supposedly of God, is using dark magic to get what you want?" Chloe asked, raising a brow. "Sounds a bit wrong, if you ask me."

"Well, I suppose it's good that I'm not asking you." Ryan grinned. "Has he given you his devotion yet?"

At Chloe's confused look, the monk. smirked.

"Lucifer, The Betrayer. Has he devoted himself to you, yet?" Ryan asked. "Has he given you control of his kingdom in his stead? The demon dog is clearly protective of you. You must be the Queen by now."

"Mommy, what's he talking about?" Trixie asked, looking so very confused and it made Chloe's heart ache.

"Nothing, monkey. He's just talking nonsense." Chloe said and Brother Ryan laughed.

"It's not nonsense." Ryan said, shaking his head as he moved back towards his captive audience. "The Devil will take a Queen and the fires of Hell will rise up upon the earth the cleanse the wicked and burn the faithful. Or so it is said."

"Okay, you're officially insane." Chloe said with a scoff. Not that she didn't know these zealots were already nuts, but believing that Lucifer would ever dedicate himself to one person for eternity was ludicrous. "Lucifer isn't the monogamous type. Not to mention he would never do anything to hurt innocent people."

"The Devil's whole purpose is to destroy the world. He will bring upon us the end of days." Brother Ryan said, raising his gun to point it at Chloe. "Which we, the devoted followers of the Lord in Heaven will stop. We will be heroes."

"No." Chloe said as her eye caught something moving hard and fast towards the broken window Azra had smashed through. She didn't know what it was, but she had a hunch. "You'll be laughing stocks. If you ever make it to Heaven. Which I doubt, because, like my daughter said, Lucifer is going to kick your ass."

Chloe couldn't field her joy at being right as Lucifer, wings spread and eyes burning, crashed through the window, shattering the wood surrounding it to land directly between her and Brother Ryan. Trixie cried out her usual enthusiastic "Lucifer!" as the monk was quickly overtaken with the flop of one large wing, the feathers pressing him hard into the floor.

"Are you alright, darling?" Lucifer asked over his shoulder and Chloe nodded. 

"I'm fine, but watch out for the–" Chloe began, but her words were silenced by the loud crack of a gun shot.

Lucifer, for all his bravado, couldn't help the bark of pain from his throat as the bullet blasted through his wing. On instinct, he pulled the wing back towards himself only to find brother Ryan moving to point the gun up in his direction. Quickly, Lucifer swooped his other wing down to thankfully knock the gun out of the monk's hand, sending it clattering to the floor and out of reach.

"So, the Devil bleeds." Ryan said as he scrambled to his feet. "Good to know."

The monk quickly began to chant, tossing spells at the Devil. Lucifer was able to deflect them easily, even with the pain radiating through one wing and into his shoulder.

"Stupid priest." Lucifer hissed. "Using infernal magic against the King of Hell? You really must be a moron. How about I show you what awaits you for your efforts, little monk."

Lucifer grinned and advanced, pulling the fires of Hell through his body to bring forth his hellish visage... only... nothing happened.

"I see you, fiery one, but I fear you not!" Brother Ryan cried as he flung another spell Lucifer's way.

"Wait, no... that's... that's not what is supposed to happen." Lucifer said, trying his best to focus on pulling out his Devil face while also making sure that Brother Ryan's spells never landed. "What the bloody hell is going on?"

"Lucifer! Just punch him or something!" Chloe shouted, struggling ineffectively against her bonds.

"I'm trying to subdue him with fear, love, but it doesn't seem to be working." Lucifer called out and Chloe groaned.

"Fists, Lucifer. Use your damn  _fists_!" Chloe said and Lucifer couldn't fault her for her logic. He lurched forward to grab at Brother Ryan only to have the monk skitter away just in time for the Devil to miss.

"Come here, you annoying git!" Lucifer grumbled. Brother Ryan flung himself to the floor to seize the gun once more, turning quickly to fire. Lucifer was fast enough to shield himself with his wing, taking yet another bullet to his feathers. He grunted out with the pain but was able to spread his wings and quickly bring them forward, sending a gust of air at the monk and sending the man flying backwards into the kitchen island only a few feet away from the open living space.

"And stop shooting me!" Lucifer roared as he paced towards the fallen monk.

The next gunshot stopped him in his tracks. The bullet wizzed by him, missing by a mile, but it was the small cry of pain that made Lucifer's heart turn to ice. He couldn't stop himself from turning to see that Beatrice... loving, adorable, wonderful, bright, and brilliant Beatrice, was now curled over in pain as her leg seeped blood onto the floor.

"TRIXIE!" Chloe cried out, her wrists now rubbed raw from struggling against her ropes. "Trixie, baby! Oh God, no!"

"You _IDIOT!_ " Lucifer roared as his face morphed not only into one of rage, but of sinew and fire. His skin melted away revealing the true face of the devil as he reached out and grabbed ahold of the hand holding the gun and twisted sharply, breaking Brother Ryan's wrist swiftly before picking the man up and throwing him across the room as if he weighed nothing less than piece of flotsam. "HOW _**DARE**_ YOU!?"

The room was vibrating with power as Lucifer spun to advance on the form of Brother Ryan, the man curled up and clutching his broken wrist to his chest. The monk looked up to see the Devil, fallen son of God and everything that he'd feared his entire life approaching him.

"No, no! Please!" Ryan said, cowering in fear. "I didn't mean to hurt her! I would never hurt a child!"

"You disgusting little creature." Lucifer seethed as he stood over Brother Ryan. "You  _DARE_ attempt to  _BEG_!?"

The smell of urine permeated Lucifer's nostrils and he grinned with glee. The battle was won. The wicked shall be punished. Just as he was about to reach down and seize Ryan again, Chloe called out.

"Lucifer?!" Came Chloe's frantic voice and Lucifer froze, arm still outstretched to deal out the punishment the monk deserved. She'd been watching. Beatrice had been watching. They  _saw_ him. Saw what he  _really_ was. "Lucifer, help... Trixie needs help!"

Lucifer's face quickly faded back into the familiar, angelically handsome one he usually wore as he spun, tucking his wings away to scramble over to Beatrice. The busted wing hurt, but it was nothing he could handle. The child was wounded and needed his attention.

"Beatrice? Beatrice, are you alright?" Lucifer asked as he knelt before her to check her wound and then quickly begin untying her.

"It hurts really bad." Trixie said, her voice soft and stilted as she sobbed in pain.

"It's alright, little one. You'll be alright." Lucifer said, and, before he could stop her, Beatrice was in his arms sobbing her eyes out. "Alright, darling. Alright. Come on. You've got to let me go so I can free your mother."

It took some prying, but eventually Trixie let go and let Lucifer sit her back down before he turned to Chloe to free her from her bonds as well. The moment the detective was free, Chloe was kneeling before her daughter, shoulder to shoulder with the devil, checking the sound on Trixie's leg.

"A graze." Chloe said, her voice a brilliant sigh of relief. "It's only a graze, thank God."

"Excuse you?" Lucifer scoffed and Chloe couldn't help but let out a chuckle.

"Sorry. Thank the devil." Chloe corrected, taking off her sweater to rolling it up and press it onto her baby girl's leg.

"That's better." Lucifer grinned before standing. Chloe was taking care of Beatrice, so now it was time to deal with the leader of the Domini Canis.

Brother Ryan, for all he was worth now, continued to cower against the wall where Lucifer had left him. He had seen the face of the Devil and, in Lucifer's eyes, had seen Hell. What once was a powerful, confident, pious man was now a whimpering mess of tears and regret.

"You nearly killed an innocent child." Lucifer said, his voice now far more even than it was only moments before. "I think both Dad and I agree that that is unforgivable."

"Please... I didn't mean–" Brother Ryan started to cry but Lucifer only laughed.

"Oh, don't get yourself all worked up." Lucifer said, holding up the rope that Brother Ryan had used to tie up Chloe. "I'm just going to get you put away so that the police can deal with you."

"Please... please forgive me. Please." Brother Ryan begged and Lucifer shook his head.

"Oh, I don't think I'm the one you need to ask forgiveness from." Lucifer grinned, his eyes flicking upwards for a moment before falling back down onto the broken monk. "Am I?"

* * *

Dealing with local police was honestly a hassle. Chloe felt like she had spent hours talking to the sheriff who insisted on jabbering her ear off while she filled out the hospital release forms for her daughter. Just as she said, the bullet had only grazed her little girl's calf and thankfully Trixie didn't even need stitches. Just a cleaning and a bandage and they were out of there.

Except the sheriff kept talking.

"What I don't understand is why this priest fellow followed you and your husband all the way up here." The sheriff said and Chloe smirked at his wording. Everyone immediately assumed that Lucifer was her husband and that they had come up north for a lovely family trip. Honestly, she couldn't blame anyone for assuming. For all Lucifer went on about not liking children, he was fiercely protective of Trixie the entire time. He rode with them in the ambulance and refused to leave Trixie's side while she was treated. He was even still sitting with her while Chloe filled out the discharge paperwork.

"Well, you heard the guy. He thought Lucifer was actually the devil." Chloe said, smiling softly as she signed what she hoped was the last form. "Clearly he's deranged."

"Oh, yeah. Totally." The sheriff nodded. "Was talking about wings and hellfire and stuff. Completely bonkers. I'm just glad you and your family are alright."

"Me too." Chloe smiled before turning and walking away from the sheriff without so much as a goodbye. She entered the room where Trixie was being kept to find her and Lucifer with their heads bent together in what looked like a rather serious discussion. "Am I interrupting?"

Immediately, both parties pulled away, each looking as guilty as the the other.

"Not at all, detective." Lucifer said and Chloe took note that he chose not to elaborate further.

"Well, I just finished the paperwork, so how's about we get outta here?" She asked and Trixie practically flew off the bed.

"I wanna go home, mommy." Trixie said and Chloe nodded.

"Me too, monkey." She grinned, patting Trixie's head.

"Erm, detective?" Lucifer prompted and Chloe looked up to see that the Devil was standing, shuffling from foot to foot. If she didn't know any better, she would say he looked bashful. "I believe I need a ride. I seem to have left your car about a two hour's drive south of here. We may want to pick it up."

"I can send a detail for the cruiser." Chloe said, reaching out to gently touch Lucifer's shoulder. "I just want to go home."

"Home. Yes." Lucifer said, his eyes flicking up to look warmly at Chloe.

With a nod, she turned to gather up Trixie only to have Lucifer beat her to it. He scooped the little girl up in his arms and Trixie was more than happy to be carried out of the hospital by her favourite person. A quick cab ride back to the cabin and they were back on the road heading to Los Angeles in no time.

"I'll send a cleaning crew to Daniel's parents' place to clean up the mess." Lucifer had said as he got into the car. "No need to leave them with such a burden."

The drive back to LA had been quiet. Trixie fell asleep almost immediately and, to Chloe's surprise, Lucifer followed shortly after. When they arrived back at her place, Dan, Maze, Amenadiel, and even Charlotte were waiting for them. Dan and Amenadiel filled Chloe in on what happened before Lucifer had gone to rescue her while Maze and Charlotte fussed over Lucifer. She had just put Trixie to bed when raised voices had her scrambling out of her daughter's room, ready to scold the supposed adults for being so loud.

"What do you mean, it's broken?" Charlotte hissed and Maze turned to growl at the woman.

"Are you deaf? He said he took two bullets." Maze said, her tone cold. "It needs to heal."

"Your wing." Chloe interrupted, completely forgetting that Lucifer had been shot. He didn't show any signs of bleeding, but if she looked closely, she could see an edge of pain around his eyes. "Oh my god, Lucifer, are you okay. I'm so sorry. I never even asked."

"Nonsense, detective. No need for apologies. Dad had nothing to do with it." Lucifer said, holding up a hand. "You were appropriately focussed on the wellbeing of your spawn."

"But your wing–"

"Has two bullets in it which I was about to head off to take care of." Lucifer smiled. "Maze will help, won't you, my dear?"

"Like I have much of a choice." Maze grumbled. "It's not like I can let you dig around your wings on your own. You'll probably end up butchering yourself."

"Too right. So, we shall be off then?" Lucifer said, giving Chloe a beaming smile.

"You're leaving?" Chloe asked. She was immediately disappointed at the sad tone in her voice.

"Only for a short while." Lucifer said, reaching over to gently pat Chloe's arm. "Just to deal with my wing and heal up. I'll be right as rain in a day or so."

"I should probably stay away then, right?" Chloe asked. "To let you heal."

"That would be helpful, yes." Lucifer nodded and Chloe took a small step forward until she was in his personal space.

"Promise me that you'll call as soon as your better." She demanded and Lucifer smirked at her conviction in her eyes.

"You have my word, detective." Lucifer said, placing his hand over his heart. "I shall ring you once I'm back to being my best me."

"You damn-well better." Chloe said before turning and looking at everyone else. "Alright. I'm tired. My kid is tired. We're all tired. Let's call it a night. Dan, I'll help you at the precinct tomorrow with figuring out what to tell the lieutenant about the monks. I'll just be glad to get all of this behind me."

"Tell me about it." Dan said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Everyone eventually left. Lucifer was happy to be back in his corvette once again. He had said something about never cheating again with the detective's old heap, but Chloe only shook her head and waved as he drove away with Maze in his passenger seat. Dan kissed Trixie goodnight and left with his own car while Amenadiel and Charlotte couldn't leave any faster.

Closing the door behind herself, Chloe breathed out a long sigh and shook her head. Sleep. She would sleep before she thought about anything else.

* * *

 

It had been almost a week before Lucifer called to tell Chloe it was safe to be around him again. He texted often, speaking about how boring wing recovery was. He even purchased a television at one point and, somewhere between the first and second day of his recovery, Chloe started getting a play-by-play of the show  _Bones._ It was really rather charming, in an adorably dorky way. It was a Friday night when Chloe received a text from Lucifer asking her to stop by. Apparently he needed her help with something.

Chloe had quickly finished up at work, made sure Dan had Trixie for the weekend, and made her way down to Lux. The patrons were already lining up outside as she drove in confidently, knowing that she could enter at any time. She couldn't help the massive grin on her face as she rode the elevator up to the penthouse. It was all so strange and yet familiar. Lucifer was the Devil, but it didn't bother her in the least anymore. Who would have ever thought that she would be okay with being best friends with the Devil himself?

"Detective!" Lucifer cried out joyfully as the lift doors opened to let Chloe out into the penthouse. "Excellent timing."

Lucifer was standing in the middle of the living room in swim trunks holding two flutes of champagne.

"Lucifer... what? What's all this?" Chloe asked, raising a brow.

"Well, a bit of a celebration." Lucifer grinned as he stepped forward to hand Chloe a glass. She took it, but didn't drink. He then turned to head out towards the patio. "The suit you wore the last time has been cleaned and is sitting on my bed. Go change. The hot tub is already heated up."

"Wait, wait, wait... Lucifer. You said you needed help." Chloe said, still completely confused. Lucifer never lied, so he needed her for something.

"Oh, yes. Well, I thought that part was obvious." Lucifer said before shrugging his shoulders and revealing his wings. One wing was as pristine as ever, but the other looked...  _horrible_. Feathers were poking out in all directions and there were bloodstains splattered between them. Chloe must had made a face because Lucifer nodded in agreement. "Yes, I know. Travesty, right? Took Maze forever to dig out those bullets and now look at me. I'm a rumpled mess. So who better to call to help groom my wing than the best groomer I've ever met? Pickle would be proud."

Chloe blinked at Lucifer a moment before her face split into a uncontrollably excited grin.

"Okay." She nodded before quickly heading off to Lucifer's bedroom to change into her bathing suit.

"That's my girl." Lucifer said to himself as he made his way out onto the balcony to climb into the hot tub.

Chloe appeared quickly, having drained her champagne glass and holding the flute at her side nervously. Lucifer looked up and tilted his head towards the ice bucket beside the tub.

"There's more if you like." He said and Chloe shook her head.

"Maybe after." Chloe smiled, placing her glass next to the bucket before slowly climbing into the warm water with Lucifer. "Let's get you cleaned up first. Then we can celebrate."

"Excellent plan, detective." Lucifer smiled, downing his glass before leaving it beside Chloe's. He slowly turned and rested his arms on the edge of the tub, curling his good wing against his back and stretching out the damaged one. "Maze already pulled the blood feathers, so it's honestly just cleaning and straightening that's needed."

"I'll do my best." Chloe said, swishing up to him so that she could easily run her fingers through the thick down of feathers. Almost immediately, Lucifer melted into the touch, relaxing again the edge of the hot tub and letting out a happy little sigh. Chloe felt her cheeks grow warm but carried on with the efficiency and practice she'd learned from caring from both a parakeet and and actual angel.

This session didn't take nearly as long as their first and Chloe found herself sad that she'd done so a great job so quickly. Lucifer, for all he was worth at the moment, was snoring softly, oblivious that his companion had completed her work.

"Lucifer?" Chloe asked, reaching out to touch the Devil's shoulder and give him a little shake. "Hey. All done."

"Hmm?" Lucifer snuffled before blinking awake and slowly turning his head to see Chloe smiling at him. "Oh. Finished have you?"

"Yup." Chloe said before looking down at the water. "And the water isn't gross as I thought it would be."

"I cleaned the worst of it long before now." Lucifer explained, taking his time to turn so that his wings didn't splash water everywhere. He then reached out for the bottle of champagne and the two glasses, filling them both and handing one to Chloe. "To a job well done. The Domini Canis is no more and we are now safe from stupid humans who don't know what the bloody hell they are doing."

Clinking his glass against Chloe's, she giggled and nodded before sipping her drink in toast.

"There's only one thing that I meant to ask and never got the chance." Lucifer said and Chloe tilted her head in curiosity. "Azra. What happened to him? He should have been protecting you and Beatrice that night."

At that question, Chloe's face fell and tears began to well in her eyes.

"Oh, oh Lucifer. I'm so sorry. I didn't tell you." Chloe said and Lucifer's face melted into one of concern as he moved forward to gently reach out and touch Chloe's arm.

"It's alright, darling. Tell me what happened." Lucifer said and Chloe explained how Brother Ryan had cast a spell and banished Azra away. Lucifer nodded through the story and, once she began to properly weep, curled his wings around Chloe and pull her close to him in a strange, feathery hug. "It's alright, detective. Azra isn't dead. He's back home in Hell. Honestly, it is where he belongs. Earth is no place for a hellhound, no matter how loyal."

"He'll be okay down there?" Chloe asked, placing a hand on Lucifer's chest before leaning in and embracing him fully.

"Yes, darling. He'll be just fine." Lucifer said, lifting his head to place a kiss in Chloe's hair. "And I'm sure he'd be thrilled to know you were worried about him."

Chloe pulled away slightly to look up at Lucifer, searching for something before giving him a small, bashful smile.

"If there is one thing I've learned from being your partner, is that I should never judge a book by it's cover." Chloe said. "The Devil is a good man, so his hellhound must be a good boy as well."

"Oh, he would light up if  _you_ called him a good boy." Lucifer smiled, though there was something about the grin that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Is something wrong?" Chloe asked, watching Lucifer closely.

"Wrong? No, I don't believe so." Lucifer said, taking a sip from his glass and averting his gaze.

"But you're worried about something." Chloe stated. "I know you. I know when something is eating at you. What is it?"

Lucifer watched her for a long moment before letting out a sigh and placing his glass on the edge of the tub.

"You." He said, eyes falling to follow his hands as they reached out to gently caress Chloe's arms. "You saw what I really am. I'm no angel. Present appearance discounted."

With a shrug of his shoulders, the wings were gone and Chloe couldn't help but shiver at the feeling of the feathers dancing over her back as they vanished.

"You saw my face. What's... what's beneath all this." Lucifer said, gesturing to himself. "I'm just waiting for you to realise that I'm truly a monster."

Chloe reached over to place her glass beside Lucifer's before bringing her hand up to rest on his cheek.

"You are _not_ a monster. I know you think that, but it just isn't true." Chloe said, her thumb running over the scuff of stubble just below the peek of Lucifer's cheekbone. "You're a good man. A bit eccentric, but good."

"I'm evil, detective. The Devil. No one is more monstrous than me." Lucifer sighed, closing his eyes and tilting his head so that his cheek was pressed more firmly into Chloe's palm.

"The man who almost killed my daughter was evil, and he claimed to serve God." Chloe said and Lucifer's eyes opened to look down at her with wonder. "You are better than any of them. You saved us. You save the world from those actual monsters."

"I couldn't let them continue." Lucifer explained. "Innocent people would have died if those fools kept at it."

"Which is exactly why you're a good man. You help those who can't help themselves. You care." Chloe smiled, her other hand reaching up to push a wayward lock of hair from Lucifer's brow. They stared at each other in silence for a long moment before Chloe inched closer. "And I love that you care."

Lucifer's eyes went slightly wide at the implications of what Chloe had just said. Leaning down, he pressed his forehead to hers and sighed.

"Detective." He said before rethinking and sighing out, "Chloe..."

"I know, Lucifer." Chloe breathed and tilted her head just in time to meet his own mouth with hers in a soft, chaste kiss. It lasted only a moment before Lucifer pulled away and smiled the most genuine smile Chloe had ever seen grace his features.

"Chloe?" He prompted, clearly nervous but powering through. "Would you... would you like to fly with me?"

"Is that some sort of metaphor?" Chloe asked, slightly giddy at having kissed him. 

"No. I mean it literally." Lucifer said and his wings slowly unfurled in the water, wrapping once again around his detective. "Would you like to go flying with me?"

Chloe looked up at Lucifer and saw his bashful nervousness and whatever vestiges of confusion or worry she had over being with the Devil vanished immediately. She took a breath and leaned up to gently capture his lips once more before smiling against them.

"I would love to."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it! It's finally over! I can't believe I made it through this beast. Thank you all for coming on this ride with me. It has truly been a pleasure.
> 
> Naturally, this final chapter comes on the heels of the tragic announcement that Lucifer has been cancelled and the amazing yet devastating finale we were given. 
> 
> I urge everyone to take to twitter and voice your dismay. Keep making noise so that we can get the final season we deserve. #SaveLucifer #PickUpLucifer

**Author's Note:**

> •••  
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> 
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> 
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> •••


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